Dan Moore Jr. started 16 games at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, and in fact, he started each of his 49 games that he played at the NFL level. After the Steelers drafted Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Moore’s starting job was in jeopardy heading into last season but he was able to hold Jones off for the entire season.
A year later, the gap between the two is closing and Moore’s days as a starter are more limited now than ever before. With the Steelers general manager Omar Khan expressing that the plan is for Jones to slide over to the left side and for Troy Fautanu to step into the starting right tackle role, Moore may win the job for Week 1 but by the end of the season he will likely be on the bench.
With this thought in mind, Moore is keeping a positive attitude but still considers himself as the team’s starting left tackle. At times last training camp, Moore practiced on the right side but never saw real snaps at the position.
“It’s one of those things where it’s a fine line,” Moore said to reporters at OTAs. “Based off of the amount of starts that I have on the left side, I would like to view myself as a left tackle in this league but the reality is there is competition, teams have different views. It’s kind of just wherever they need me, I need to adapt.”
While he attempted it in practice last season, Moore is not confident enough on the right side. He stated that being able to play both sides is a rare ability for offensive lineman.
“Not everybody can play both sides,” Moore said. “The people that can are really blessed and are really athletic people.”
Despite battling for his starting job for a second consecutive season, Moore is doing the unthinkable again. He made headlines last fall for being so open and helpful to Jones, his replacement, and is doing everything that he can to make Fautanu feel welcomed this year.
“Speaking on a situation like that, I feel like it is more of a character thing,” Moore said about mentoring Fautanu “I feel like that is more about personality. I don’t see that changing this year. I see it being just the same way and if anything Brod (Broderick Jones) will be a huge help.”
Actually, Moore was among the first group of people to reach out to Fautanu after he was drafted. Not thinking about the business aspect of it, Moore reached out to congratulate him.
“Yeah, I mean, the kid just got drafted. It’s probably the best moment of his life,” Moore said. “I remember that moment. I know that I would want to be welcomed. We are happy to help him. He’s going to push a lot of people in this room. [We’re] working to help him grow.”
Regardless, Moore’s days of being the starting left tackle are nearing its end. Whether he starts the season as a starter or not is the bigger question and one that will be solved throughout training camp. Being just 25 years old, Moore will likely cash in on the open market next offseason.
65 • Dan Moore Jr., Tackle, Texas A&M
6-foot-5, 315 pounds, 25 years old, 3rd Season
Acquired: The Steelers drafted Moore with the 128th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Last Year: Despite the Steelers drafting Jones in the first round, Moore maintained his starting spot which forced Chukwuma Okorafor to be benched at right tackle. Moore started 16 games on the left side but played a career-low 951 offensive snaps. His sacks allowed and penalties committed went down from the 2022 season which was a benefit for the Steelers. He allowed just three sacks and committed eight penalties.
Career: After the Steelers selected Moore in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, he was named the team’s starting left tackle prior to Week 1 which was the first time that a Steelers rookie started at left tackle since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Moore started all 16 games that he played in as a rookie. He played 1,079 snaps and allowed seven sacks during the 2021 season. He also committed five penalties and earned a PFF rating of 57.8 as a rookie.
In 2022, Moore started all 17 games at left tackle for the Steelers and played a career-high 1,160 snaps. He allowed seven sacks and was flagged a staggering 10 times. Moore not only allowed seven sacks again in his second season, but he also got worse with the penalties as his numbers doubled from his rookie season despite playing only one more game. He also allowed 39 total quarterback pressures including 10 quarterback hits.
In his NFL career, Moore has played in and started all 49 games at left tackle. Moore has eclipsed 3,000 career snaps at left tackle.
| Year | GP | GS | Snaps | Sacks Allowed | Penalties | PFF Rating |
| 2021 | 16 | 16 | 1,079 | 7 | 5 | 57.8 |
| 2022 | 17 | 17 | 1,160 | 7 | 10 | 62.4 |
| 2023 | 16 | 16 | 951 | 3 | 8 | 51.8 |
College: Coming out of Beaumont West Brook Senior High School, Moore was a three-star rated prospect and decided to commit to the University of Texas A&M. As a freshman, Moore appeared in eight games and started the final three of them. He played 84 snaps on the offensive line as a true freshman and allowed zero sacks.
In 2018, Moore won the job and started all 13 of the Aggies’ games at left tackle. He played a career-high 905 snaps and allowed six sacks while committing five penalties as a true sophomore.
As a junior in 2019, Moore again started all 13 games of the season. He finished the season allowing only three sacks but his penalty troubles that are present in his professional game began to show as he committed a staggering nine penalties.
Prior to his senior campaign, Moore was named to the Outland Trophy Watchlist and the preseason coaches’ All-SEC third team. He was also named a team captain prior to the season. Moore did in fact step up as a senior and started all 10 games for the Aggies in 2020. On his 628 snaps, he allowed only one sack and committed just three penalties while earning a career-best 69.3 rating by Pro Football Focus. Following the year, Moore earned second-team All-SEC honors for his great senior season.
In total, Moore played in 44 games at Texas A&M while starting 39 of them. He played a total of 2,412 snaps on the offensive line. Moore allowed 10 sacks through his four seasons as an Aggie.
| Year | GP | GS | Snaps | Sacks Allowed | Penalties | PFF Rating |
| 2017 | 8 | 3 | 84 | 0 | 1 | 55.1 |
| 2018 | 13 | 13 | 905 | 6 | 5 | 56.7 |
| 2019 | 13 | 13 | 795 | 3 | 9 | 59.7 |
| 2020 | 10 | 10 | 628 | 1 | 3 | 69.3 |
Salary cap and future: Dan Moore is entering the final year of his standard four-year rookie contract and will cost $3.54 million against the Steelers’ cap space in 2024. He will earn a base salary of $3.36 million with a $174,475 signing bonus this upcoming season. Moore will become a free agent following this season.
