A lot has been made about the changes the Pittsburgh Steelers have made this offseason on the offensive side of the ball. Most of that focus has been on the quarterback position, where a complete overhaul was done.
Gone are Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. In their place, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Russell Wilson and traded for Justin Fields. The team also brought on Arthur Smith to be the offensive coordinator, who will lean into their identity as being a run-first franchise.
However, to find success, Pittsburgh’s offensive line needs to play at a high level. Assets were used to help in the trenches as well. The team used their first-round pick on Troy Fautanu out of Washington. Second and fourth-round picks were used on Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick to reinforce the interior of the line.
The team did lose Chukwuma Okorafor in free agency to the New England Patriots, but he may not be the only former starter on move. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report believes that starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr. could be traded this offseason as well.
“As has already been stated here, even average offensive tackles can generate considerable demand in the NFL. Pittsburgh drafted Troy Fautanu in the first round this year, ostensibly to replace Moore. Broderick Jones should be the starter at right tackle. And Dylan Cook has been working at OTAs as both a “jumbo” tight end and the team’s top “swing” tackle.
That could leave Moore as the odd man out entering his contract year—and give the Steelers a chance to get something out of those 22 sacks allowed in three years,” Davenport wrote.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been down this road before with Kevin Dotson. They traded him to the Los Angeles Rams last offseason and he turned into one of the better guards in the NFL. Playing out the final season of his rookie contract, he parlayed his production into a three-year, $48 million deal just a few months ago.
A similar path could be taken with Moore, who may not have a path to playing time in the Steel City. He has a ton of experience and teams are always on the lookout for offensive line depth. The Pittsburgh Steelers have added a ton of talent to the trenches and could afford to trade Moore to bring back assets or a player at a position of need.
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