Game-Changing Moves: 4 roster shuffles to catapult the Steelers
By Tommy Jaggi
There's no sugarcoating it: the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled mightily early in the 2023 season. This may not be reflected in their 3-2 record, but when you put the film back on, you see just how unspectacular the results have been.
I have watched every Steelers game multiple times so far, and it's clear that they have too many starters playing poorly. At this point in the season, it's hard to fix some of their issues barring major trades before the deadline. However, that doesn't mean that Pittsburgh should be content moving forward with its current situation.
Some of these issues could be resolved by simply shuffling some players on the starting lineup. Others could even require a minor role change. Here are four roster shake-ups that could help catapult the Steelers back to success.
1. Keep Broderick Jones as the starting left tackle
For Steelers fans (and maybe even 31 other teams), this is a decision that we wouldn't have to think twice about. While Broderick Jones has just one NFL start under his belt, his performance in a full game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 was more than encouraging.
Jones very much looked like the player that Pittsburgh hoped to be getting. He showcased remarkably quick feet and anchoring ability in pass protection while effortlessly getting to the second level on running plays. This is why you trade up to the 14th overall pick to draft a player with his upside right?
Apparently, Tomlin might not see it that way. The Steelers head coach is quietly flirting with the idea of inserting a healthy Dan Moore Jr. back in the lineup as the starting left tackle. Moore has had the worst season of his NFL career so far, and the results have been awful prior to suffering a sprained MCL against the Texans in Week 4.
After I rewatched Jones' game against Baltimore, I took to Twitter and said that I would hand the starting job to Broderick and never look back. If the Steelers do this, it could be a step toward getting the offense trending in the right direction.