The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line has been one of their weakest links over the last three seasons. The organization has slowly improved the unit through the NFL Draft and free agency, but there is still a lot of work to do. Going into 2024, the two positions that absolutely must be fixed are center and left tackle. The Steelers should be in a decent draft position to select one of the high-end tackles in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but they might pass on that as they already have both of their starting tackles on the roster according to Gerry Dulac.
Steelers Will Keep The Same Starters At Tackle
Pittsburgh had three players start at tackle in 2023. Dan Moore Jr. started 16 games, all at left tackle. Broderick Jones started 11 games, one at left tackle and 10 at right tackle after the benching of Chukwuma Okorafor, who started the first seven games of the year on the right side. No players really stood out. Moore Jr. was graded one of the worst left tackles in the league, Jones struggled some in his rookie year, particularly in pass protection, but showed he can be a good starter for Pittsburgh, and Okorafor has already been released. Dulac spoke about the future of the tackle positions when he was asked about Spencer Anderson getting a chance in 2024 during his chat on Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“Not this year. They have their two starting tackles. Then again, I wouldn’t rule anything out.”
The two starting tackles Dulac is referring to are Moore Jr. and Jones. Jones will obviously be a starter in 2024 as he was the organization’s first round pick in 2023, but it is unclear where he will start along the line. He was drafted as a left tackle out of Georgia, but was moved to right tackle after Okorafor was benched. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has already stated he is unsure what side of the line Jones will play on in 2024, and whether or not the Steelers acquire another tackle could certainly effect that.
The Steelers currently hold the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and it can be assumed they will draft either a tackle, center, or cornerback. If they pick a tackle in the first round, whether that tackle can only play on one side of the line, will be interesting to see. If they select a right tackle, fans can assume Jones will move back to his natural position on the left side.
The Steelers could also opt to bring in a tackle through free agency. There are a decent amount of good, reasonably-priced right tackles that will hit the open market in March the Steelers could go after. Some candidates to keep an eye on are Jermaine Eluemunor, who played with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, Josh Jones, or even a reunion with Chris Hubbard.
The Steelers do have some in-house options to replace Moore Jr. as well, as they drafted Anderson in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He is an extremely versatile player who played all along the offensive line during his collegiate days at Maryland. Anderson even played nine games at right tackle during the 2021 season. The Steelers have been impressed with Anderson and his versatility, so fans shouldn’t be shocked if he gets a legitimate shot to become a starter at right tackle, while Jones starts on the left side again in 2024.
Moore Jr. has been the Steelers’ primary starter at left tackle for the last three seasons. He is consistently graded as one of the worst tackles in the league by PFF, and the Steelers coaching staff marching him out in the starting lineup on the opening day of the season in 2024 would be a travesty.
Would you be angry if Moore Jr. gets to start for the fourth season in a row?
