The Pittsburgh Steelers know the importance of having great offensive line depth firsthand. After years of possessing one of the healthiest offensive lines in the NFL, Pat Meyer's unit was struck with the injury bug in 2024... and it bit hard.
Just before the season started, we learned center/guard Nate Herbig would be out for the year with a severe shoulder injury. Meanwhile, first-round pick Troy Fautanu made it through just one game before a knee injury popped up in practice and ended his rookie season before it ever got off the ground. Shortly after, James Daniels went down for the year.
Thankfully, the Steelers had just enough depth on their offensive line to get by. This depth led to opportunities for young players like Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick on the interior offensive line. It also resulted in Broderick Jones getting a shot to prove himself.
The way it was looking, Jones was trending toward being Pittsburgh's swing tackle, with Dan Moore Jr. starting at left tackle and Troy Fautanu claiming the starting right tackle role. Fast forward to the end of the season, and it's clear that the Steelers have an important decision on their hands.
Steelers must decide whether to pay Dan Moore Jr. in 2025
Based on the way things were going early in the year, this wasn't even a question. Moore was playing the best football of his career while Jones' performance was a trainwreck. Since then, however, these athletic offensive tackles have been much more comparable.
Jones' play was egregious early in the year as the 2023 first-round pick struggled with sloppy technique and loads of penalties. While he still has a long way to go, the Steelers offensive tackle has been trending in the right direction and looks more like the player Pittsburgh hoped they were getting when they traded up to the 14th overall pick to draft him.
So what does this mean for Dan Moore Jr.?
After showcasing incredible improvements in his fourth season in 2024, Moore is in line for a sizeable payday. Offensive tackles are a premium in this league and Moore will still be 26 years old when the 2025 season kicks off.
In a perfect world, the Steelers would retain Moore and give themselves outstanding tackle depth for 2025 and beyond. But this isn't very realistic. The decision hinges on whether the Steelers want Moore at left tackle next season or if they feel confident enough in Jones.
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Jones, a left tackle by trade, was drafted to be the future left tackle of the Steelers. However, the young OT has played almost exclusively right tackle in his first two NFL seasons. This begs the question of whether the Steelers would move Jones or Fautanu to left tackle if Moore leaves in free agency.
There's always risk in shuffling the offensive line. If Moore leaves, the Steelers would also have to invest in a swing tackle in the event of an injury to one of their starters.
At the end of the day, the choice seems pretty clear: the Steelers need to let Moore walk and let Broderick be the player he was drafted to be. Moore's contract will be far too steep to make him a swing tackle, and Jones has shown too much promise in the second half of his 2024 season to send him back to the bench.
Offensive line depth is important, but the Steelers have plenty of other holes that will need to be filled and money that should be invested elsewhere. The gap between Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones isn't big enough to pay a premium to keep Moore around, and by next year, Jones might be the better player anyway.