Tag Archives: Dan Moore

No More Keeping Up with The Joneses: Steelers Trade Broderick Jones to Dallas Cowboys

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys, making their first critical roster decision with the NFL’s final 53 man roster cut down deadline looms.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the  Steelers are sending Jones along with their 2027 4th round pick to Dallas, and getting the Cowboys’ 2027 3rd and 6th round picks.

Broderick Jones

Broderick Jones decked out in color rush. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Broderick Jones was the first, first-round draft pick of the Omar Khan Andy Weidl era, whom Khan traded up for in the 2023 NFL Draft. When the Steelers drafted Jones, the decision was almost universally praised.

Writing in Steel City Insider, analyst Matt C. Steel lauded the class of 2023 as a “near-perfect draft.” He praised Jones for his “athleticism and physicality [that] are unique.” Steel further explained his enthusiasm for Jones:

Jones might struggle with pass protection early; however, with his strength and movement skills Jones’ impact on the run game should be significant. Couple that with the knowledge that [Christian] Gonzalez’s interviews were said to be uninspiring, moving up to get Jones was the best choice the Steelers could have made with their draft position.

Talk about a draft analyst being prophetic. The Steelers drafted Jones on measurables rather than experience, as Jones had not been a long-term starter in college and was seen as somewhat of a project.

While the Steelers didn’t start Jones on opening day 2023, he did crack the starting lineup in the middle of the season against Tennessee after Chukwuma Okorafor got benched. And with that move the Steelers running game finally began getting some traction.

  • However, Jones’ “sophomore” year was shaky at best.

As Steel predicted, he struggled in pass blocking and the Steelers running game got a slow start – although that was a trademark of Pat Meyer’s offensive lines. Left tackle had always been seen as Jones’ natural position and he played on the right during the Steelers 2024 season, in large part because Dan Moore could not make the switch from left tackle to right tackle.

The hope was that by shifting Jones would begin to fully realize his potential during the Steelers 2025 season. Nonetheless, outside of Pittsburgh Jim Wexell reported from the 2025 NFL scouting combine that Jones was perceived as a “coach killer.”

  • The reality is that results were mixed.

While Broderick Jones might not have been an early-season outright liability at left tackle, the Steelers pass protection left a lot to be desired.

Arthur Smith needed to tailor play calling sequences to ensure Aaron Rodgers got rid of the ball quickly. Smith also generously used his “Jumbo Package” bringing in reserve offensive lineman Spencer Anderson as a tight end.

Still, while no one would confuse him with a modern-day John Jackson or Marvel Smith, Jones did seem to improve as the season wore on. Unfortunately, he suffered a neck stinger in the Steelers loss to Chicago, ending his season.

  • Word was the Steelers would have issued Jones a 5th year tender had it not been for his neck injury.

Not only did they not do that, but they used their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. With 2024’s first round pick Troy Fautanu already on the team, Jones’ days with the Steelers appeared to be limited.

  • The expectation was that he would begin training camp and the season on the PUP list.

Surprisingly, Jones was active through training camp, and got extensive work in all three of the Steelers 2026 preseason contests.

And that sealed his fate with the team, as Jones struggled in pass protection in all three contests, most notably getting beaten badly in the 4th quarter in the shutout loss to the Jets.

Although the Steelers deemed Jones physically fit to participate and play in camp, he was visibly smaller following his injury. So, there’s certainly a chance that his recovery can continue and that he can salvage something of his career.

But he won’t be doing it in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, and Omar Khan has likely recouped more value with this trade than he could have hoped to get as a compensatory pick had he kept Jones in the Steel City.

Khan Continues to Embrace the “Fail Fast” Principle

Dispatching Jones to Dallas marks the second time that Omar Khan has dealt away a first-round draft pick who is playing on a rookie contract. The first time came when he sent Kenny Pickett down the Turnpike in 2024.

  • Clearly, Khan is not averse to embracing the “Fail Fast” principle.

Although Jones clearly qualifies as a disappointment, the Steelers 2023 Draft Class is shaping up to be a strong group. Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington and Keeanu Benton have already signed second contracts with Joey Porter Jr., hopefully, soon to get his. Spencer Anderson will also begin the year as a starter.

 

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Grading the Steelers 2021 Draft Five Years Later: Why Pittsburgh’s Playoff Drought Deepened

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The picks are in and we’re in the thick of OTAs. Now it’s time to grade the Steelers draft class.

The Steelers 2021 Draft Class.

Yes, 5 years is a long time to wait to grade a draft class, but if a 5-year wait was right for Chuck Noll, then it’s right for me.

The Steelers 2021 Draft Class was Kevin Colbert’s penultimate one and while this draft wasn’t as bad as some of ones that sandwiched it, that isn’t entirely a good thing. Let’s dive into why.

Pat Freiermuth, Najee Harris, Steelers vs Bears

Pat Freiermuth and Najee Harris represent the yin and yang of the Steelers 2021 Draft Class. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Round 1 Najee Harris – Another Rookie Tease

Critics condemned Colbert and Mike Tomlin for “Wasting a first rounder on a running back” as soon they drafted Najee Harris.

After holding his draft party at a Bay Area homeless shelter, his rookie season suggested Harris could prove the critics wrong. And then some.

Harris played his rookie year behind an offensive line built with spit, duct tape and bubble gum, yet he still rushed for 1200 yards, scored 7 touchdowns and caught 74 passes for 467 yards.

  • Unfortunately, he failed to build on his rookie success.

Yes, he played well in fits and spurts. Yet at other times he subjected us to “Sludge Ball,” resulting in 3rd and longs which the offense couldn’t convert.

Najee Harris, Steelers vs Chargers

Najee Harris breaks one in the 4th quarter. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

That inconsistency makes it easy to forget his 4 consecutive 1000 yard seasons, his additional 1000 yards receiving, 34 touchdowns and 68 consecutive starts. Those numbers show that the Steelers did get some value out of Najee Harris even if his overall draft grade is Disappointment.

steelers, draft, grades, evaluations, bust, Kevin Colbert

True NFL Draft grades only come with years of hindsight

Round 2 Pat Freiermuth – Muuth!

If Najee Harris spent his rookie season teasing that he might live up to his first-round status, Steelers fans watched 2nd round pick Pat Freiermuth during his rookie year and asked if he might be the next Heath Miller.

Pat Freiermuth, Jordan Battle, Steelers vs Bengals, Steelers vs Bengals TNF

Pat Freiermuth stiff arms Jordan Battle en route to the end zone. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Truthfully, Pat Freiermuth hasn’t and will likely never reach that level. Instead, at a time when the Steelers have fielded some outright JV offenses, Freiermuth has always been a consistent Varsity player. Grade: Over Performer

Round 3 Kendrick Green – It Isn’t Easy Being Green

Anyone who ever needs a reminder of why you never want to enter an NFL draft with an absolute need to pick a starter, look no further than Kendrick Green.

Thanks to Maurkice Pouncey’s surprise retirement while the Steelers were in Salary Cap Armageddon the Steelers were forced to draft a starting center in the 2021 NFL draft. So they drafted Kendrick Green.

Kendrick Green struggled until Mike Tomlin benched him for J.C. Hassenauer in week 16. Green made the roster in 2022, but never earned a game day helmet.

The Steelers gave him some work at fullback at St. Vincents in the summer of 2023. But he couldn’t do enough to prove he needed a roster spot, so they traded Green to the Houston Texans where he’s started four games. Grade: Bust

Round 4 Dan Moore – More Than Expected

The Steelers didn’t only need to draft a starting-capable center in the 2021 NFL Draft, they also needed a tackle. So they drafted Dan Moore Jr. in the 4th round. Dan Moore won the left tackle starting job in training camp, and then proceeded to start all but one game for the next four years.

  • Moore suffered growing pains, and could never make the shift to playing right tackle.

But he improved with each passing year, although not enough to deter the Steelers from drafting Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu. But drafting an offensive tackle in the 4th round who becomes an immediate starter and then proceeds to start 66 games is an outstanding success by any measure. Grade: Over Performer

Round 4: Buddy Johnson — The 4th Round Throw Away

As a non-draftnic all Steelers draft picks start with a clean slate. I do listen to experts, but take their wisdom with a grain of salt. Still, the eye rolls that accompanied Buddy Johnson’s pick perked up my ears.

  • And it didn’t take long to understand the eye rolls.

Buddy Johnson appeared in 4 games for the Steelers as a rookie, played 6 defensive snaps and 59 special teams snaps. The Steelers cut him the next summer. So fellow 4th rounder Dan Moore made 66 starts whereas Buddy Johnson played 65 total snaps. Grade: Bust

Round 5: Isaiahh Loudermilk – The Rookie Tease

With no 5th round pick, the Steelers traded their 2022 4th rounder to grab Isaiahh Loudermilk. The Steelers drafted Isaiahh Loudermilk counting on having both Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu.

  • Tuitt never played a down and Alualu was lost after just 6 quarters.

Thanks to those injuries, Loudermilk got playing time immediately. And in hindsight, it is easy to forget that Loudermilk actually had a fairly promising rookie year, batting down 3 passes, and recording a sack while playing 29% of the defensive snaps.

  • But like Najee Harris, Loudermilk failed to build on his rookie year.

He averaged about 19% of the defensive snaps over the next three years, and his career highlight was blocking a field goal in the 2024 Sunday Night Football loss to Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys. The Steelers brought him back for a 5th year, but he got injured after two games. Grade: Disappointment

Round 6: Quincy Roche – The Preseason Flasher

Quincy Roche started the summer off at St. Vincents strong enough for Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell to include him in a group of rookies who were “are rounding out another exceptional draft.”

By summer’s end, the Steelers coaches didn’t quite agree, as they cut Quincy Roche hoping to sneak him on the practice squad.

The New York Giants signed him, and Roche appeared in 14 games, made 3 starts, recording 2.5 sacks.

Alas, he spent his second year bouncing on and off New York’s practice squad and was cut loose in January. The Steelers brought him back to Pittsburgh, but his highlight was getting pancaked during Friday Night Lights by “fullback” Kendrick Green. He got cut 25 days later. Grade: Bust

Round 7a – Tre Norwood – Short-Term Swiss Army Knife

Officially the Steelers drafted Tre Norwood as a safety, but Mike Tomlin immediately labeled him a “Swiss Army Knife” indicating that he’d play both safety and corner. Tre Norwood saw action in all 17 games as a rookie, logging a full third of the defensive snaps.

Tre Norwood tops off Ben Roethlisberger's final game at Heinz Field by intercepting Baker Mayfield's pass after Minkah Fitzpatrick tipped it his way.

Tre Norwood intercepts a Baker Mayfield pass at the end of Ben Roethlisberger’s final game at Heinz Field. Photo Credit: Caitlyn Epee, Steelers.com

While no one was suggesting a name change to Donnie Polamalu or Troy Shell the early returns were good, with Norwood deflecting four passes and hauling in an interception to secure Ben Roethlisberger’s final win at Heinz Field.

Like other members of the Steelers 2021 Draft class, Norwood never sustained his rookie momentum, and was gone after 2022. Grade: Serviceable Pickup

Round 7b:  Pressley Harvin III — Mr. Inconsistency

The Steelers used their final pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Pressley Harvin III, a punter out of Georgia Tech, hoping to find a long-term upgrade at the position. Pressley Harvin punted for 3 seasons, was good at times, but he lacked consistency and was gone after 2023. Grade: Disappointment.

Steelers 2021 Draft Class Helps Explain, Extend Playoff Drought

When the 2021 Steelers unexpectedly made the playoffs, Jim Wexell’s initial assessment of “another exceptional draft” looked smart. Everyone, except Kendrick Green and Buddy Johnson had shown concrete reasons for hope – as had Roche with the Giants.

  • Sadly, only Pat Freiermuth and Dan Moore built on their rookie success.

The others did enough to hang on as backups, or even starters, but none developed into anything exceptional. In many ways, his draft class was similar to the Steelers 2018 Draft Class, which set the seeds for stagnation.

For its part, the Steelers 2021 Draft Class deepened the roots of the franchise’s current playoff drought by adding players who, with the exception of Freiermuth, never developed into differnece-makers and who instead excelled at being ordinary. Overall grade: C.

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Steelers 2026 NFL Draft Needs at Offensive Tackle: Time to Keep Going Backwards?

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Judging by the logic of popular culture, the Pittsburgh Steelers have done things backwards in the NFL draft when it comes to offensive tackle. “Backwards? Haven’t didn’t they use consecutive first round picks on tackles?” you ask?

Well…, Offensive tackle might not hold a lot of sex appeal, but it is sexy enough to inspire a Hollywood movie. If we accept Leigh Anne Tuohy’s logic as handed down by Sandra Bullock in the opening monologue of The Blind Side, the first check an NFL team writes pays the mortgage, the second goes to the insurance.

  • The mortgage is of course, the quarterback and the insurance is offensive tackle.

Yet Omar Khan and Andy Weidl still haven’t made a mortgage payment in the NFL draft, but their first two first round draft picks brought offensive tackles to Pittsburgh.

Should the duo continue to take out insurance policies in the 2026 NFL Draft? Let’s have look.

This is the latest article in our Steelers 2026 Draft series.

The Steelers Offensive Tackle Depth Chart Entering the 2026 NFL Draft – The Starters

Broderick Jones became the first pick of the Khan-Weidl era when the Steelers picked him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Although they traded up to get him, Jones was viewed as a bit of a project based on his limited experience starting at Georgia.

He did not crack the starting line up initially as a rookie, but he saw action in the debacle the Steelers suffered in Houston and made another start the following week in the upset over the Ravens at Acrisure.

Jones took over starting duties at right tackle when Mike Tomlin benched Chukwuma Okorafor in the Steelers Monday Night win over the Titans and, in some ways, the offense’s rebound began then.

Jones had a difficult summer in 2024 would have found himself behind both Dan Moore and Troy Fautanu, 2024’s first round pick. However, an injury cost Fautanu all but one game of his rookie year, so Jones continued to start at right tackle and struggled at times.

  • 2025 saw Jones move to left tackle, and the results were mixed.

Early in the season he had difficulties, and coaches openly schemed both to give him help and design plays that allowed Aaron Rodgers to get rid of the ball quickly.

Broderick Jones, Steelers vs Vikings, Steelers vs Vikings Dublin, Aaron Rogers, Isaac Seumalo

Broadrick Jones during the Steelers win in Dublin. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

However, the consensus is that Jones improved until an injury in the loss to the Bears cost him the rest of the season.

Jones’ injury was more serious than expected, and Omar Khan has indicated that the team cannot be sure that he’ll be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

As both hoped and expected, Troy Fautanu took over as the starter at right tackle in 2026 and played the entire year, as the right side of the Steelers lines began taking form as a team strength.

The Steelers Offensive Tackle Depth Chart Entering the 2026 NFL Draft – The Backups

Practice squad players are an interesting subset of NFL veterans. Oftentimes, they’re blips that you see come and go in a week or less. Sometimes you see come and go and return, on and off, over the course of a season, or several seasons.

And then there are the ones that reporters give shout outs to Q&A columns and on-line chats, reminding everyone to keep an eye on. Some of those players you never get to see. But others do make good on their shot at 15 minutes of fame, and Dylan Cook is one of those.

Cook signed with the Steelers and was on their practice squad in 2023, pegged by some as a “dark horse roster candidate.” He didn’t make the active roster in 2023, got injured in 2024 then was cut and resigned to the practice squad and then brought to camp in 2025.

Yet he didn’t make the final cut and had to come back for another stint on the practice squad, but got activated following Jones’ injury, and made his first start in the Steelers victory over the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

That win was the turning point in transforming what looked like a disaster into another AFC North title.

Was it a coincidence? Well, probably yes, but the turnaround would not have happened at Cook proved unable to withstand the heat of the kitchen.

The Steelers also have Jack Driscoll who has 18 starts under his belt, and Spencer Anderson can play tackle as well, but he is currently a candidate to start a guard.

Steelers 2026 Draft Needs at Offensive Tackle

Offensive Tackle should presents Mike McCarthy and Omar Khan with their most perplexing position challenge this off season. While Broderick Jones still has his critics, he did improve during the course the 2025 season. Well-sourced reporters have indicated that the team would likely have given him his 5th year rookie tender were it not for his neck injury.

And that’s the rub.

The Steelers aren’t even sure he’ll be ready to suit up by the time they arrive at St. Vincents. And while Steel Curtain Rising has no medical knowledge or specific insight into either situation, we’ll remind readers that a similar neck injury caused serious issues for Marvel Smith, ultimately forcing his retirement.

The Pittsburgh Steelers draft needs scale

Dylan Cook has been good in relief, but has he been good enough to count on as a season-long starter?

  • And even if he is, the Steelers still need a swing tackle.

The bottom line is that, unless the next Tony Boselli or Alan Faneca falls to them, the Steelers almost certainly won’t draft an offensive lineman in the first round.

But, depending on what they do with Spencer Anderson and their starting guard position, they almost certainly need to draft one with a premium pick because the Steelers need at offensive tackle going into the 2026 NFL Draft must be considered High.

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Steelers 2025 Draft Needs @ Offensive Line – Higher Than You Think….

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The first big ticket free agent signing by Omar Khan and Andy Weidl was Isaac Seumalo. A few weeks later they made Broderick Jones their first round draft pick. A year later, they drafted Troy Fautanu in the first round, Zach Frazier in the 2nd round and Mason McCormick in the 4th round.

  • Sense a trend here?

But does that mean the Steelers could look again to the offensive line in 2025? Or might that just be too much of a good thing?

Broderick Jones

Broderick Jones decked out in color rush. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Steelers Offensive Line Depth Cart: The Starters

As the intro suggested, the Steelers brain trust has been very deliberate in building their offensive line. Alas, even though the Steelers have gotten what they’ve wanted in free agency and the draft, they yet to secure what they’ve needed.

The Steelers drafted Jones as a project, and played to bring him along and hopefully work him in at left tackle during 2023. Yet Chuks Okorafor struggled, and Jones had to replace him as a starter.

Last summer, the idea was for Jones to beat out Dan Moore at left tackle during training camp, for Fautanu to start at right tackle with Moore playing the swing tackle. But…

  • Moore showed he couldn’t play right tackle
  • Jones really wasn’t beating him out at left tackle anyway
  • Fautanu kept getting hurt, first in camp, and then after his only start

In a similar vein, the Steelers arrived at St. Vincents hoping to give Fraizer and McCormick apprenticeships at center and guard. Nick Herbig got injured early in camp, forcing Frazier into that role. And James Daniels was lost early in the season forcing McCorrmick into the starting role.

On paper, the Steelers should field a pretty strong offensive line in 2025…

…But as we’ve just seen, things haven’t been going according to plan.

Steelers Offensive Line Depth Chart: The Backups

In 2024, the Steelers successfully weathered so many offensive line injuries because they had good depth here. But now James Daniels, Dan Moore and Nick Herbig are playing elsewhere.

The Steelers do have Ryan McCollum who played well in two starts last season. Spencer Anderson has position flexibility and has played 25 NFL games including 4 starts at guard last season. The team also has offensive tackle Calvin Anderson whom they late in 2024 and Dylan Cook who spent 2023 on the Steelers active roster, who spent time on IR in 2024 as well as the practice squad.

For the record, the Steelers also list Doug Nester, Lecitus Smith and Steven Jones as guards on their off season roster.

The Steelers 2025 Draft Needs @ Offensive Line

This is where things get interesting. ON paper the Steelers starting offensive line appears set. Yet, when asked to commit to his front five at the NFL owners meeting, Mike Tomlin declined, explaining:Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Needs Scale

I feel like we have some guys that are certainly capable of the role. But to say that as I sit here today, would be untrue. I don’t know who I’m going to end up with or who I’m going to be in position to consider.

It would be easy to write this off as just coach speak, but at the NFL Scouting Combine Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell talked to “a league scout who knows the Steelers well” who cited Jones’ lack of development in 2024 labeling him a “coach killer.”

Given those comments, along with the absence of a true swing tackle and lack of depth at guard, and the Steelers needs at offensive line going into the 2025 NFL Draft must be considered High.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 Free Agent Tracker

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Free Agency started on Monday March 10th at noon.

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered free agency with as much as much to lose as they do have to gain.

The Steelers have 17 players set to become free agents. Omar Khan has over 60 million dollars in salary cap money to spend, with the ability to increase that quickly and easily with restructures and extensions. Yet, the team has been cautious.

  • If anyone is panicking over the Steelers lack of a quarterback, they’re not on the South Side.

Beyond that, the Steelers have seen far more free agents depart for greener patures than they have extended the welcome mat to.

steelers press conference,

Is Omar Khan stockpiling compensatory picks? That may not be his intent, but thus far that’s the end-product of his approach to free agency as the legal tampering period comes to an end.

Steelers 2024 Pickups During Free Agency

Jaylen Warren, Running Back
Extended 2nd round Restricted Free Agent Tender
Ryan McCollum, Center
Extended an Exclusive Rights Free Agent tender
D.K. Metcalf
Traded their 2nd round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft for D.K. Metcalf who signed a 4 year extension
Kenneth Gainwell, running back
Signed the former Philadelphia Eagles running back to a 1 year deal.
Malik Harrison, Inside Linebacker
Signs a 2-year, 10 million dollar contract to leave the Baltimore Ravens.
Brandin Echols, Cornerback
Signs with Steelers from the New York Jets, terms undisclosed.
Darius Slay, Cornerback
Signs 1-year, 10 million dollar contract after getting cut from Philadelphia Eagles.
Mason Rudolph, Quarterback
Signs 2-year, 8 million dollar contract.
Scotty Miller, Wide Receiver
Signs 1-year deal, presumptively at the veteran minimum.
Ben Skowronek, Wide Receiver
Signs 2-year deal, 4.5 million dollar contract.
Daniel Ekuale, Defensive End
Signs with Steelers from the New England Patriots
Juan Thornhill, Safety
Signs 1-year deal from the Cleveland Browns
Isaiahh Loudermilk, Defensive line
Signs 1-year deal, presumptively at the veteran minimum.
Esezi Otomewo, defensive lineman
Signs 1-year contract, presumptively at the veteran minimum, from the Jacksonville Jaguars

Steelers 2024 Free Agent Losses


Justin Fields, Quarterback
Signed 2 year, 40 million dollar deal with the New York Jets
Donte Jackson, Cornerback
Signed 2 year, 13 million dollar contract with San Die er um Los Angeles Chargers
Dan Moore, Offensive Tackle
Signed 4 year, 82 million dollar contract with Tennessee Titans
Najee Harris, Running Back
Signs 1 year, 9.25 million dollar contract with Los Angeles Chargers
Elandon Roberts, Inside Linebacker
Signs 1 year, 3 million dollar contract with Las Vegas Raiders
James Daniels, Guard
Signs 3 year 24 million dollar contract with Miami Dolphins
Van Jefferson, Wide Receiver
Signs 1 year, 2.5 million dollar contract with Tennessee Titans
Mike Williams, Wide Receiver
Signs 1 year, 7 million dollar contract to return to the Los Angeles Chargers
Nate Herbig, Guard/Center
Signs 1 year deal with Washington Commanders

Steelers 2024 Remaining Unrestricted Free Agents

Russell Wilson, Quarterback
Cam Sutton, Cornerback
MyCole Pruitt, Tight End
Kyle Allen, Quarterback
Tyler Matakevich, Inside Linebacker/Special Teams
Damontae Kazee, Safety

Exclusive Rights Free Agents

Jeremiah Moon, Outside Linebacker

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Free Agency: Should the Steelers Seek More of Dan Moore?

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Rebuilding an offensive line on the fly is never advisable. Alas, sometimes in the NFL it is necessary. The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves doing just that after the 2020 season saw them turnover 4/5ths of their offensive line in a single off season.

Three seasons later one player from that oft-maligned 2021 team remains. His name is Dan Moore and now he’s a free agent.

Should the Steelers be seeking more of Moore in 2025 and perhaps beyond?

Dan Moore, Steelers vs Titans,

Dan Moore Jr. heads of Arden Key at Acrisure Stadium. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Profile of Dan Moore’s Steelers Career

With the decline in play and subsequent departure of Alejandro Villanueva, the Steelers needed to act fast to fill their left tackle position. They did so in the 4th round of the 2021 NFL Draft when they took Dan Moore.

Dan Moore “won” the starting job in training camp (who else was going to play) and has started 66 of a possible 67 games since then, clocking in at 99, 100, 95 and 100 percent of the offensive snaps. While Pro Football Focus stats are anything but Gospel, the site did rate him at 46th out of 141 tackles rated in 2024.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Dan Moore

Omar Khan traded up to draft Broderick Jones in 2023 and then drafted Troy Fautanu in the first round of 2024, so the Steelers resigning Dan Moore isn’t even theoretically possible, right? Not so fast.

While no one is confusing Dan Moore as the next Tony Boselli, he has improved every year. And if Pro Football Focus rating him in the top 1/3 of NFL tackles might not quite pass the “eye test,” he’s clearly a competent and capable NFL left tackle.

Broderick Jones has only played left tackle for a few quarters against Houston in 2023 and is still seen as a raw talent that’s in development. At least that’s the positive spin. One scout for a team other than the Steelers described Broderick Jones as a “coach killer.”

The problem is that Fautanu was injured through most of training camp and got injured in practice after his only start. And he had injury concerns coming into the draft. While signing Dan Moore to a long term contract may not be on the table, keeping him in Pittsburgh via the franchise or perhaps transition tag would be wise.

Kevin Colbert did that with Max Starks going into the 2008 season even though the Steelers had Marvel Smith and Willie Colon set as their starters. Smith got hurt against Jacksonville, Starks started the next week in Baltimore and continued to start all the way through Super Bowl XLIII.

Does that mean keeping Dan Moore in Pittsburgh will bring the Steelers to the Super Bowl in 2025?

Hardly. But it does reinforce the lesson that you can never have enough good offensive lineman. Especially when you’ve got existential questions about your presumptive starter at left tackle.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Dan Moore

That Max Starks-Dan Moore analogy sure stirs up feelings of nostalgia, doesn’t it? Nostalgia is nostalgia precisely because it’s a longing for things whose time has passed. The 2025 franchise tag for an offensive lineman is $23,402,000. The transition tag is “only” $21,271,000.

Dan Moore has developed into a serviceable starter-capable NFL left tackle – and that’s an accomplishment.

  • But are you really going to cut a 23 million dollar check for one-year Dan Moore rental?

The Steelers have a desperate needs at defensive line, wide receiver and cornerback and, oh yeah, they’ve got to sign a quarterback and neither Russell Wilson or Justin Fields is returning at the K-Mart Blue Light Special discount he played on last year.

The Steelers didn’t just bring Jones and Fautanu to Pittsburgh to start, they drafted them as “foundational pieces.” It is time for the offensive line to sink or swim with those two.

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Dan Moore

The idea of bringing back Dan Moore as an insurance policy is appealing. It may seem outlandish to write a large such a large check for a guy whom you’re projecting to sit on the bench, but the Steelers did it with Max Starks.

But the difference is Max Starks had already started Super Bowl XL. Dan Moore isn’t a Super Bowl starter. Moore can’t play both tackle positions. Starks could. The 2008 Steelers didn’t need to add starting-level talent at cornerback, wide receiver and on the defensive line. The 2025 Steelers do.

  • So using one of the tags on Dan Moore isn’t feasible.

And without the transition or franchise tag holding him back, Dan Moore has every incentive to test the free agent market, and he has every expectation that he should get starter’s money there.

Dan Moore has had a respectable career in Pittsburgh, but this is one player who’ll likely find that the grass is greener on the other side of free agency’s fence.

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Trip to Philadelphia = Unique Measuring Stick for 2024 Steelers

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The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers might have started 10-3 with the AFC North lead, but as everyone knows, they face a brutal stretch against the Eagles and Ravens on the road followed by the Chiefs at Acrisure on Christmas.

As starting safety DeShon Elliott explained, “It’s just going to show us how good we can be.”

Elliott is right. And perhaps the game against the Eagles at Philadelphia offers the most unique measuring stick. The Steelers haven’t won in Philadelphia since 1965, when Lyndon Johnson was President and man on the moon was science fiction.

It isn’t just that the Steelers have lost in Philly, it how they’ve lost:

  • In 1979 the Eagles dealt the defending and future Super Bowl Champions their first loss
  • In 1997, the Steelers only lost by 3, but they also lost Greg Lloyd for good
  • In 2008, the Steelers only lost 15 to 6 but Ben Roethlisberger took 9 sacks
  • In 2016, the Steelers lost 34 to 3 and were lucky to get that field goal
  • In 2022, the Steelers lost 35 to 13 bringing the Steelers to 2-6 at the bye

That 2022 loss adds extra relevance to this Sunday’s match up. The final score doesn’t indicate just how lopsided that game was. Neither does the fact that the Steelers were “only” down 21-10 at the half.

Kenny Pickett, Haason Reddick, Steelers vs Eagles

Haason Reddick hits Kenny Pickett. Photo Credit: John Geibeiler, Eagles.com

That 2022 loss to the Eagles was the worst ass-kicking the Steelers have suffered in the post-Roethlisberger era. Philadelphia played like a team headed to the Super Bowl – as it was. The Steelers played like a team positioning itself a top 5 draft pick, which they weren’t.

Shortly after the game Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell took time out to assure citizens of Steelers Nation that there was a bright side. He drew attention to Jalen Hurts’ journey with the Eagles from a 4-11-1 team in ‘20, to an 9-8 team in ’21 to the then-undefeated that finished the season playing for a Lombardi.

The focus of Wexell’s article was to draw a potential parallel between Hurt’s and Kenny Pickett’s development. Obviously Kenny Pickett will be on the Eagles sideline this week, but at the team-level the metaphor still holds.

Just glance at the Pro Football Reference box score from that game, and you’ll see just how much has changed.

  • The Eagles sacked Pickett six times that day
  • A.J. Brown torched the Steelers for 3 TDs of 27 yards plus
  • Miles Sanders gashed the Steelers for 78 yards and an 8.6 yards-per-carry average
  • T.J. Watt missed this game – Malik Reed and Ryan Anderson took his place
  • The Steelers only touchdown came on a Chase Claypool to Derek Watt pass

The Steelers will bring a changed roster to Philadelphia and the points you see above fuel the reasons why they made many of those changes:

Nick Herbig, T.J. Watt, Steelers vs Jaguars

Nick Herbig and T.J. Watt. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Not only will T.J. Watt will play but the Steelers will get Nick Herbig and Preston Smith on the field alongside Watt and Alex Highsmith not because they need to, but because they want to.

The Eagles have made their own changes. The biggest one involves Saquon Barkley a running back so good he literally leaps past defenders while running backwards.

The biggest change is the one we haven’t discussed yet – Russell Wilson will be the Steelers signal caller. Wilson not sports a Super Bowl ring but also a 4-0 record playing in Philadelphia, including a playoff win.

No matter how you slice it, the Steelers have improved their roster since that ugly beating suffered on Halloween Eve just over two years ago. Has Pittsburgh beefed up enough to break a 59 year losing streak against an almost certain Conference Championship participant?

It is time to find out.

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Steelers Report Card for Loss to the Browns – Frustrated by Slow Starts Edition

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Taken from the gradebook of a teacher frustrated with his student’s slow starts, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the snowy Thursday Night Football loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Nick Herbig, Steelers vs Browns, Steelers vs Browns snow, Nick Herbig strip sack Jameis Winston

Nick Herbig strip-sacks Jameis Winston. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson went 21 of 28 for 270 yards no interceptions and one touchdown. Those are good numbers but somehow they didn’t quite add up for the Steelers. Case in point, he took four sacks and put the ball on the ground that set up a critical Browns score. Justin Fields played 7 snaps. He sparked the offense with his 30 yard run, but otherwise was ineffective. Grade: CSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren led the unit with 45 yards on 11 carries. Najee Harris struggled. Gaining only 45 yards on 16 carries. Cordarrelle Patterson and one carried for negative 2 yards. The Steelers running backs didn’t get a lot of help from the line, but the Steelers needed more from their backs, and didn’t get it. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth and 4 catches for 59 yards and Darnell Washington had 3 grabs for 14. Those are OK number on paper, but the tight ends don’t seem to be making up for the Steelers deficiencies at wide receiver. Grade: C-

Wide Receivers
Calvin Austin had a spectacular night catching a 46-yard “moonball” and then making a combat catch that briefly put the Steelers up. George Pickens had 4 catches for 48 yards. Van Jefferson had 2 catches for 39 yards. While all three put up some great individual plays, as a group the wideouts struggled to get open, facilitating several sacks. Grade: C-

Offensive Line
Cleveland Browns defenders dropped Steelers runners behind the line of scrimmage seven times. Dan Moore and Zach Frazier struggled against Myles Garrett. Wilson’s four sacks were drive killers. Not only Steelers went for it on 4th down twice and failed – the lost yardage both times. There’s no sugar coating this: The Steelers offensive line got manhandled. Grade: F

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward led to unit with 6 tackles and 2 passes defensed. Larry Ogunjobi registered a quarterback hit. The Browns converted 3 of their 4th down attemps on the ground. That’s not all on the line but it starts there. Grade: D

Linebackers
Nick Herbig was the star of the unit landing strip sack that set up the Steelers go ahead score. Credit the Browns for neutralizing T.J. Watt, who didn’t touch the quarterback and only registered one tackle for a loss. Outside of Herbig’s play, the Steelers barley touched Jameis Winston all night and that lack of pressure cost them dearly. And of course the Browns converted 3 of their 4th down attempts on the ground. Grade: D

Secondary
Donte Jackson came down with what should have been the game-sealing interception. DeShon Elliott forced a fumble which Jackson recovered and then recovered the ball after Herbig’s strip-sack. The Browns went 1-10 on third down conversions. But they seem to come down with catches when they needed them including on one of the Browns 4th down conversions. Grade: C-

Special Teams
Chris Boswell missed a 58 yard field goal that he probably shouldn’t have tried. He made two others under increasingly difficult conditions. The Steelers return coverage was solid. Corliss Waitman only punted once, but he shanked it, and that cost the team dearly. Grade: D

Coaching
Arthur Smith has his work cut out for him. After going 7 quarters without scoring a touchdown, his unit scored 2 in less than 2 minutes, yet couldn’t get a simple 1st down when earning one would have shifted the game’s fortunes drastically in the Steelers favor.

His offensive line got dominated at the line of scrimmage. The group will likely bounce back, but overall story of the Steelers offense in this game was a unit that featured some strong individual performances, but that started slow and couldn’t deliver in critical moments.

Teryl Austin needs to ask himself – why is it that the Steelers defense stopped the Ravens offensive juggernaut, only to allow the Browns 24 points? Huntington Bank Field featured the first truly hostile environment that the Steelers have played in this season, Austin needs to find a way for his defense to deliver against a much better quarterback in what will be an equally hostile Paycor stadium.

  • Thursday Night Games are tough for the visiting team. Fair enough.

But Mike Tomlin is now 1-8 on Thursday night on the road. After the game he pointed out his team’s slow start as one of the main factors behind the lose – he was right – and slow starts have been issues for the Steelers all along. Tomlin needed to do something to break both tendencies coming into this game, whatever he tried didn’t work. Grade: F

Patrick Queen, Nick Chubb, Steelers vs Browns

Patrick Queen stops Nick Chubb for a loss. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Unsung Hero Award
Unlike Herbig, Elliott and Jackson his plays won’t make the highlight reels. No one will point to his tipped passes and say, “See, he’s still got it.” But Patrick Queen led the Steelers in tackles, deflected a pass and landed a quarterback hit on a night when they were spare, and for that he wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 Thursday Night Football loss to the Browns at Huntington Bank Field.

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The Steelers NEED Another Wide Receiver. But at What Cost?

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Heading into their week 8 Monday Night Football match up against the New York Giants one thing is clear about the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers: They need a new wide receiver.

As scientists say, “The experiment has been replicated.”

  • In George Pickens the Steelers have a quality, NFL WR No. 1.
  • In Calvin Austin the Steelers may have a quality, NFL WR No. 3.
  • In Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller the Steelers… don’t have much
  • In Payton Wilson, they have a rookie who can’t stay healthy enough to practice let alone play

Pat Friermuth is a legit receiving threat as a tight end and Darnell Washington may be emerging as a threat in his own right. Connor Heyward too could carve out a nitch for himself in the passing offense.

But even if Russell Wilson can add some oomp

George Pickens, Steelers vs Jets 2024

George Pickens pulls it in. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

h to elevate the Steelers receivers and tight ends all on his own, the Steelers are an injury to George Pickens away from being the first NFL offense since the 1988 Colts to run the Wishbone. Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin know this, or they wouldn’t have been hours (if not minutes) away from consummating on the Brandon Aiyuk trade.

So there’s no doubt about whether the Steelers need a wide receiver, the only question is how much should they give up to get one? And the answer to that question comes down to what Tomlin, Khan and Art Rooney II want to accomplish this season and what they see when they look in the collective mirror.

If their goal is simply to “win a playoff game” then they can probably accomplish that without making a trade – provided their roll of the dice on George Pickens’ health doesn’t come up as snake eyes.

However, if the Steelers ambition is to win a Super Bowl and the brain trust thinks, all other things being equal, they have Super Bowl-ready roster, then Omar Khan needs to trade for a wide receiver, and he needs to be ready to ship a premium pick out to get one.

  • So what should they do?

It is hard to say. My instinct is to stick to “The Steelers Way” and continue to play the long game by adding foundational pieces to the roster. On the flip side, the Steelers have a unicorn situation at wide receiver:  They have a Super Bowl quarterback playing at the veteran minimum and the former number 11 overall draft pick playing on his rookie contract.

To put that in perspective:

This is a situation that will not repeat. The repercussions of giving up a 2nd or 3rd-round draft pick to bring a legitimate WR No. 2 to Pittsburgh now have the potential to resonate destructively by the time the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around, particularly if the Steelers end up giving up a 4th for Fields.

But, as Mike Silverstein once observed, “Draft picks come and go, some are good others are not. But Lombardis? They stay forever.”

I don’t pretend to know enough to evaluate any of the names being floated around as potential trade targets for the Steelers. But if one becomes available Omar Khan and Andy Weidl think he can put the Steelers over the time, then they need to make the deal.

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What to Make of the Steelers “Maginot” Offensive Line?

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to kickoff their celebration of the 1974 Super Bowl IX championship team at half time when the New York Jets come to Acrisure Stadium for Sunday Night football.

  • As Tony Dungy noted on Instagram, there’s a historical parallel emerging in real time.

In week 7 of the 1974 season Chuck Noll benched Joe Gilliam who was 4-1-1 in favor of the veteran Terry Bradshaw. And here in week 7 in 2024, all indicators point to Mike Tomlin benching Justin Fields, who is 4-2 as a starter, in favor of veteran Russell Wilson.

James Daniels, James Daniels guardian cap

James Daniels at Acrisure Stadium. Photo Credit: Kylee Surike, PennLive.com

That’s a great story and an awesome piece of historical symmetry that – God willing – will sustain itself through February.

But a tweet from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac has me reaching further back into history for another parallel.

 

Will we remember 2024 as the year the Maginot Line reached Pittsburgh?

The Maginot Line in 88 Words

World War I was fought in muddy trenches in Northern and Eastern France. Determined to avoid a repeat, France spent 3.9 billion dollars building the Maginot Line along the German border.

The Maginot Line featured the best weapons and best fortification that money could buy, including air conditioning and its own subway.

But for all its bells and whistles, the Maginot Line was a complete failure. When Germany attacked in 1940 it went around, over or otherwise ignored France’s border defenses, securing victory in a few short weeks.

The Backstory Behind the Steelers 2024 Offensive Line

For a good chunk of the teens the Steelers had the best offensive line in the business. Then a combination of age, injury and Salary Cap Armageddon forced them to rebuild overnight.

Between the playoff loss against Cleveland in 2020 and opening day 2021 the Steelers fielded 4 new starters on offensive line. But rebuilding on the fly on the cheap didn’t work. Dan Moore is the only starter from that 2021 opening-day offensive line that remains.

Since then, Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan have invested heavily in the offensive line. And they’re playing the long game in both free agency and the draft

James Daniels, 2022 free agent signing
Nate Herbig, 2023 free agent signing
Isaac Seumalo, 2023 free agent signing

Broderick Jones, First round draft pick 2023 NFL Draft
Troy Fautanu, First round draft pick 2024 NFL Draft
Zach Fraizer, 2nd round draft pick, 2024 NFL Draft
Mason McCormick, 4th round draft pick 2024 NFL Draft

The plan was for the line was to be rock that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith built is Bill Cowheresque offensive around.

But the Steelers will take the field against the Jets with Daniels, Herbig, Fautanu on injured reserve, Frazier out with an injury, Broderick Jones playing with an injured elbow, Seumalo starting just his third game due to injury and McCormick starting for Daniels.

So yes it does feel like Khan and company have built the football equivalent of the Maginot line in Pittsburgh. But that feeling is where the analogy should end.

The Maginot Line is a textbook example of a country preparing for the last war instead of the next one. In contrast, investing in the offensive line is always a sound strategy in football, at any level.

The Steelers have just has an incredibly bad streak of luck in terms of injuries on the offensive line.

  • But that hardly dooms the Terry Bradshaw-Russell Wilson parallel.

The last time the Steelers had to rebuild their offensive line in season was 2008.  It did not go smoothly, but it did end with Ben Roethlisberger holding the Lombardi on the dais after Super Bowl XLIII asking, “Offensive line, who’s laughing now?”

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