Getty Riley Reiff waits to take the field.
The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ offensive line will look vastly different for the second straight season. In 2021, the team was in rebuild mode after two-time All-Pro linemen Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro retired, and Alejandro Villanueva and Matt Feiler were lost in free agency. Unfortunately, the moves made didn’t work out in their favor. The unit finished among the worst in the NFL, allowed 38 sacks and ranked 29th in both rushing yards and yards per carry.
And so it was back to the drawing board this offseason. James Daniels, Pro Football Focus’ fifth-ranked free agent interior offensive lineman, was brought in to take over at right guard. Another new face, center Mason Cole (Cardinals, Vikings), was signed to replace the struggling Kendrick Green. He will now compete with veteran Kevin Dotson for the starting left guard position in training camp.
While the Steelers hope they’ve successfully addressed the weaknesses along the interior, tackles are a work in progress. Thrown into the fire as a fourth-round rookie, Dan Moore, Jr. started all 16 games. He allowed 46 total pressures (sacks, hits, hurries) and committed five penalties. First-year starter Chuks Okorafor had a better showing on the right side, allowing just 23 pressures, but committed the league’s third-highest 11 penalties.
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Pickings are slim this time of year, but if the Steelers want to bolster the tackle stable, Bleacher Report suggests former first-round draft pick, Riley Reiff.
“He’s never been considered among the league’s best tackles. Still, it’s surprising that Reiff is still available,” BR’s Kristopher Knox wrote. “He’s a starting-caliber tackle who has been relatively durable over the years. Since starting eight games as a rookie in 2012, Reiff has started every game he’s appeared in and made at least 12 games in every campaign.”
Reiff’s first five seasons were with the Detroit Lions, who selected him 23rd overall in the 2012 NFL draft. After a four-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings, he helped the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl last season, holding defenders off Joe Burrow for four sacks in 12 games.
At 33, Reiff is on the downside of his career, and the Steelers are only getting younger. But if experience is what the O-line needs, he has it in spades.
Steelers Youth Movement
It wasn’t all that long ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers had the oldest offensive line in the NFL. Now, there’s a youth movement, with Cole as the elder statesman at 26.
No one expects this offensive line to be a top-10 unit this year. Still, the offense’s success is hinged on it developing into a cohesive line capable of creating opportunities for Najee Harris and protecting whichever quarterback the Steelers put behind them.
Since the 2018 season, the Steelers have finished in the league’s basement in rushing yards per game. Last season, the pass protection crumbled, surrendering 38 sacks (most since 2018). That was with Ben Roethlisberger getting rid of the ball faster than any quarterback in the NFL last season at a clip of 2.38 seconds per throw, per Next Gen Stats.
Pittsburgh Promise
Despite their downfalls, Moore and Okorafor did show promise as the season progressed. The Steelers rewarded their development by not making any offseason acquisitions at tackle.
In an offseason 1-32 poll for ESPN, Brooke Pryor noted them as the two Steelers who benefited most from the NFL draft.
“[Chuks] Okorafor gets his name in bold, but Dan Moore Jr. also qualifies as a player who benefitted from the Steelers’ draft,” Pryor wrote. “The team didn’t address the tackle spot through an external signing in free agency or via the draft, all but solidifying its confidence in Okorafor and Moore. As a rookie, Moore started every single game and showed signs of being the left tackle of the future, while Okorafor had an average season. Either position could’ve benefitted from an upgrade this offseason, but that didn’t happen, so Okorafor and Moore won’t have their spots threatened.”
There’s rarely better praise for an offensive lineman than from his quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger said of Moore last season, “He’s got heart, he’s got passion, he’s smart, and he’s very, very good. He’s going to be the left tackle of the future for this football team, and he’s going to be very good at it.”
Ben on Dan Moore Jr.: “He’s got heart, he’s got passion, he’s smart and he’s very, very good. He’s going to be the left tackle of the future for this football team and he’s going to be very good at it.” #Steelers
Najee Harris believes that Moore is an underrated part of the team. “Dan, I don’t think he gets enough recognition of what he did at left tackle against all the guys. All of the edge rushers we had last year, he stood his own, so I always tip my hat off to him.”
Former Steelers offensive lineman Ramon Foster sang the praises of Moore on the July 8 Ramon Foster Show.
“As far as what he did in year one, I think the sky is the limit for a kid like him,” Foster said. “The technique is there early for a guy like himself. He finishes well… I’ve seen him play overly physical at that position, too, and just the calmness in how he’s approached it.”