The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a lot questions at certain positions throughout the roster heading into the 2024 season. The most notable position battle is at quarterback with both newly acquired signal-callers in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Another set of positions that has been up in the air is both of the tackle spots. Rookie Troy Fautanu is looking to start at right tackle, while both Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones have their sights set on left tackle.
Fautanu is currently fighting through a knee injury, and his status for Week 1 is up in the air. Meanwhile, Jones is dealing with a nagging arm injury that seems to be hindering his performance. If everything went smoothly, Pittsburgh would feel confident sending a healthy Fautanu on the field at right tackle with Jones playing on the opposite end.
However, Moore is making life hard for Head Coach Mike Tomlin as it will be difficult to sit Moore in lieu of a struggling Jones. Former Steeler Chris Hoke spoke about Moore not getting the respect he deserves.
"Dan Moore Jr., everyone wants to discount him, 'Oh we've got these two tackles, pedigree, all this stuff,'. You haven't heard one thing about Dan Moore Jr. this offseason. He does the job; I don't think he's given up a sack. Why are we always discounting this guy being a player? This guy's done nothing but gotten better. Yeah, he made mistakes as a rookie. Yeah, he did things."
The fan base for the Steelers has been extremely critical of Moore since he became the starter three seasons ago; probably too critical. He has improved throughout his time in Pittsburgh, and has been able to hold the left tackle position since being named the starter as a rookie back in 2021. He even held off Jones ahead of the 2023 season, who the Steelers traded up for in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"Look at Broderick Jones. This guy [Moore] I think is a starting left tackle in the NFL. A first-round draft pick [Jones] came in, never beat him out, had to go to the right side to play. Let's give this guy some kudos because I think Dan Moore Jr. every single time has risen to the top and showed that he's an NFL starting left tackle."
Jones couldn't strip Moore of his starting role ahead of his rookie season. He started one game for an injured Moore during the 2023 season, but went right back to the bench afterwards. He eventually became the full-time starter at right tackle after Chukwuma Okorafor was benched in the middle of the season.
The struggles of Jones, and injury to Fautanu leave Tomlin with no option but to start Moore at left tackle to begin the season. He hasn't noticeably struggled during the preseason, while Jones has been making headlines for continuously making mistakes. Since Fautanu is a rookie, Tomlin probably won't insert him into the starting lineup unless he is fully healthy and has at least a week of practice beforehand. Fans might not like it, but Moore's time as a starter probably isn't coming to an end.
Steelers' Broderick Jones' Struggles Are Concerning
Jones was expected to take a significant second-year leap in 2024, but so far it doesn't look like that will happen. He gave up two sacks during the team's second preseason game, and looked bad once again in the preseason finale. He is fighting through an injury, which is definitely hindering his performance. He also is still playing out of position. He was drafted as a left tackle, and has only played one game at the position for the Steelers.
Tomlin will need to make an interesting decision with the tackles ahead of the season opener, and he also needs to find a way to consistently put out the same offensive line week after week. It takes time for these units to gel, and the Steelers are behind the eight ball in that regard.
