Steelers Starting LT Out vs. Ravens

Mike Tomlin said that the steelers starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr. will miss the team’s game against the Baltimore Ravens with a knee sprain on Tuesday. Moore was injured early in the team’s loss to the Houston Texans. As such, rookie left tackle Broderick Jones will get his first career start against the Ravens. Tomlin noted that he is confident in Jones and his trajectory.

“I think he’s been practicing really well,” Tomlin said. “I feel really good about what he’s done to tee up his performance from a practice perspective, the urgency he has, the quality of that play. He’s gotten his feet wet now. I thought the quality of his play improved over the course of the game. Oftentimes, when you get inserted into a game like that, you have to get on a moving train. You feel some of that, that was evident, he gave up pressure on his snap. But I thought he got better throughout and I think it’s reasonable to expect him to be reasonably solid with a week’s prep.”

In his first extended in-game action, Jones was tagged with three pressures and one quarterback hit. However, he was not charged with any sacks allowed, including the fourth-down play that injured Kenny Pickett. Pickett got charged with all three Texans sacks on him.

Jones has played just four snaps in the NFL before this when Chuks Okorafor suffered an injury at the end of the team’s game against the San Francisco 49ers before entering against the Texans. Moore has been graded as one of the worst tackles in football by Pro Football Focus, with calls for Jones clamoring in recent weeks. However, after an up-and-down preseason from the Georgia product, the Steelres have guarded their rookie left tackle early in his career. Now, Jones will have an opportunity to show the Steelers what he can do with Moore banged up.