The Pittsburgh Steelers traded up for offensive tackle Broderick Jones with the intention that he would be the team’s starting left tackle for a long time. Incumbent left tackle Dan Moore Jr. retained his starting role while Jones played right tackle during the 2023 season.
However, general manager Omar Khan appeared to send an indirect message to Moore at the NFL combine.
In summary, Khan’s message was the plan with Jones hasn’t changed. That means Moore’s days as Pittsburgh’s starting left tackle could be numbered.
“Versatility on the offensive line is important. [Jones] proved that he could play right tackle. But he was drafted to be a left tackle and eventually he will be a left tackle,” Khan told reporters at the NFL combine on February 29. “When that is, you know, time will tell, but he was drafted to be a left tackle.”
Moore has been Pittsburgh’s starting left tackle since he arrived with the Steelers in 2021. He has missed just two games in three seasons.
But Moore has been inconsistent, and as a former fourth-round pick, he doesn’t possess the same natural talent Jones does. The Steelers selected Jones at No. 14 overall in the 2023 NFL draft.
Could Lack of Versatility Cost Dan Moore Jr. His Roster Spot?
Khan never specifically mentioned Moore, so it takes reading between the lines to consider what he said a message to the team’s starting left tackle.
But it’s unusual for general managers to comment on what is ultimately a coach’s decision. The decision of who starts at left tackle falls under Mike Tomlin’s job description.
Khan didn’t necessarily overstep by claiming Jones will one day start at left tackle. What it could mean, though, is Moore isn’t in the team’s long-term plans.
Moore will enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2024. Over three seasons, he’s mostly been average at best. Furthermore, according to Pro Football Focus player grades, Moore has significantly struggled in pass protection.
That’s putting it mildly. Among offensive tackles who played at least 50% of their team’s offensive snaps in 2023, PFF ranked Moore last (50th out of 50) in pass protection.
Despite struggling, Moore kept his starting job after Jones entered the starting lineup at right tackle near the midseason point because the team wasn’t confident to move him elsewhere.
“[Moore] is significantly better at left than he is at right,” Tomlin told reporters on November 8.
Even Moore admitted to not being able to make the switch to the opposite side of the line as naturally as Jones.
Those are potentially damning claims for Moore. Once he loses the starting left tackle job, which Khan essentially said will happen in a matter of time, there may not be a reason to keep Moore on the roster.
If he can’t make the switch to right tackle, then he won’t be a starter. He also won’t have much use as a backup because he can only play one position.
The Steelers could start Moore at left tackle for one more season and then allow him to exit in free agency. But the Steelers drafting another tackle in the first round to play on the right side and then flipping Jones back to left tackle before the 2024 season is also on the table.
Steelers Options at Center
One need that could prevent the Steelers from drafting a right tackle in the first round this year is center. Pittsburgh released starting center Mason Cole on February 23.
Khan didn’t deny the need at center, but he told reporters the team has internal options too.
“We have a need, but we have Nate Herbig, and we have some other players that have some flexibility,” Khan said. “But we’re going to look at everything.”
As a follow up question, a reporter asked Khan about right guard James Daniels potentially playing center. Khan didn’t rule it out but implied the team already likes Daniels at guard.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Steelers selected Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson or West Virginia’s Zach Frazier. Both are two of the top centers in the 2024 draft class.
Should that occur, Herbig could then compete with one of them for the starting center spot in 2024.
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Steelers GM Omar Khan Puts Offensive Starter on Notice at NFL Combine