Former Steelers OT Dan Moore Jr. Thought He "Played Well" In Disastrous 2024 Campaign

Ever since General Manager Omar Khan and his staff took over, the Pittsburgh Steelers have put a ton of focus on the offensive line. They refused to use the same cheap fixes that the previous regime did. If you want to be a physical, dominant team in the trenches, you have to have the best of the best in terms of blockers. You can't have a run-first offense or develop a young quarterback when the unit is full of swinging doors opening up lanes for opposing defenders. 

However, not everyone saw those units as terrible, including one former player that played on the line. Dan Moore Jr. recently had a press conference for his new team, the Tennessee Titans. In that, he defended his own play from his tenure in Pittsburgh.

"I'm always looking to get better, regardless of what the numbers say," Moore explained. "I thought I played well last season; the Titans thought I played well last season. I'm focused on getting better."

He's not wrong on the part about the Titans liking how he played in 2024, as they gave him a massive, front-loaded contract worth $82 million over four years with $50 million guaranteed. This is all being paid out in the first two years too. You don't give that kind of contract to a blindside blocker unless you have total faith that he can protect your quarterback against all kinds of pass rushers. 

The numbers tell a completely different story though. Moore led the NFL in sacks allowed in 2024, which is never a good sign. It says a lot about a player when the team is repeatedly trying to replace him, as the Steelers spent first-round picks in both 2023 and 2024 to try and get him on the bench, but injuries and other issues allowed him to stay in the starting lineup. 

Troy Fautanu was supposed to be the day one starter at right tackle, which would allow Broderick Jones to at least compete with Moore at his natural position. Instead, the rookie got injured in training camp, which forced Jones back on the right side. When Fautanu came back, he only had one start in two games before suffering a brutal season-ending injury. 

Steelers May Be At Fault For Moore's Numbers

Even with those terrible stats, Moore may have a point. At the very least, he may be getting a massive upgrade as an offensive line coach. Fans and analysts have been wondering why Pat Meyer has been allowed to stay in Pittsburgh another year. Meanwhile, the Titans have a legendary offensive line coach with Bill Callahan running that unit. Moore could get better in Tennessee just because of the gap between the abilities of the two coaches alone.

As the stats also mentioned, Jones was right behind Moore in sacks allowed with 11 last season, so it wasn't just an issue with the former fourth-round pick. That could go back to coaching as well, with Meyer potentially being unable to properly prepare his guys for all the moves that opposing edge rushers apply. In a league where edge rushers are almost always the focal point of a defense, you have to put extra emphasis on them.

These issues could also go to the quarterback. Russell Wilson did not have great pocket presence in 2024, which led to him taking more sacks. If Justin Fields was the starter for the whole season, who knows how much of the reputation of Moore and Jones would grow. Either way, both of those players will get a chance to prove all the doubters wrong, especially the one that just got paid.

What do you think about Moore thinking he played well in 2024? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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