Our second installment of our Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 Training Camp Battles takes us into the offensive line. What many believed wouldn’t be an issue, has definitely turned into one. Despite drafting Troy Fautanu in the first round, it appears that he might not be seeing the field as quickly as first thought.
If this sounds familiar, it is a bit of a repeat from what we saw unfold last season. Broderick Jones was the first round rookie but he found himself behind Dan Moore on the left and Chuks Okorafor on the right. By mid season however, Jones was starting at right tackle. So what does the coming season entail?
Strangely enough, the Steelers opened OTAs with Fautanu still at right tackle. He was getting reps behind Jones while Dan Moore – who was largely thought to be on his way out – was entrenched at left tackle. I would caution against any of us making too much of this right now but it is a bit head-scratching in my opinion.
Moore often gets a bad rap and there’s no doubt it’s deserved at times, but it’s also hard to argue with his overall body of work. A fourth round draft pick out of Texas A&M in 2021, Moore was thought to be a guy with a good chance of becoming the Steelers’ swing tackle while developing his overall skill set. But fate had other ideas as Moore quickly found himself the starter. He has since started 49 games out of a possible 49 games over his first three seasons. Pretty damn good if you ask me.
But Moore isn’t without his faults. He too often gives ground to pass rushers who shove him into the lap of his quarterback. He’s also not the best run blocker either and that’s where both Jones and Fautanu should have an advantage over him. With Arthur Smith’s run-heavy offense, having tackles who can dominate as run blockers is paramount. So as Training Camp approaches, how does this shake out?
Moore is entering the final year of his contract and will likely garner some significant attention in free agency after the season. Or is it possible that the Steelers could trade Moore? It all depends on who Pat Meyer and Mike Tomlin feel is best suited to move forward. With Jones playing well at right tackle in his rookie season, could Fautanu make the move to the left and supplant Moore? Fautanu is open to it and given his extreme athletic ability, it might just trend in that direction.
The advantage Moore has in this battle is simply experience. You cannot replace the experience gained from 49 starts in three seasons. Therefore Fautanu has much work ahead of him. There isn’t much he can do about the lack of experience but he will have an opportunity he didn’t have in OTAs; He’ll finally be able to prove himself as full contact will be allowed.
If he and Jones dominate physically as is expected (while also picking up the mental aspects) then we could see Moore expendable. Don’t bet on that right away however. Look for Fautanu to be the swing tackle early on before getting his chance by mid season. Whether deserved or not, Moore will get the benefit of the doubt. It’s just how the Steelers do things.
