A Lot on the Line for Steelers LT Dan Moore vs. Browns, Garrett
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Dan Moore Jr. has had an up-and-down start to his NFL career, which should be evident by the fact that the Steelers drafted his eventual replacement, rookie Broderick Jones, in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft this spring.
But it hasn’t all been bad for the former fourth-round pick out of Texas A&M, and his play against Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett has been a particular highlight.
Since Moore entered the league in 2021, Garrett has played 34 games and has recorded 33 sacks — nearly a perfect one-sack-per-game average. But the going against Moore has been much tougher.
In four games between Moore and Garrett, the All-Pro defensive end has recorded just two sacks.
“It’s going to be hard fought,” Moore said this week. “Myles is one of the best edge rushers in this league. So just giving him the respect that he’s due and then like Coach (Mike Tomlin) always says, just minimizing him. Not adding to his resume.”
Moore was thrust into the lineup unexpectedly in his rookie season when Zach Banner’s knee injury didn’t heal, and Moore was forced to start at left tackle. That first game against Garrett, he said, was a huge confidence builder.
“It made the rest of the season a heck of a lot easier, I’ll say that,” Moore said. “I didn’t face anyone I felt like even close to that caliber.”
Moore could use the same kind of confidence booster now. His first game after the team drafted Jones was not exactly inspiring. He allowed a sack, two quarterback hits and six hurries in 54 pass-block snaps on Sunday.
It does not seem that Jones is poised to take his starting job just yet, but another strong performance against Garrett would go a long way toward cementing Moore’s role for 2023.
“Just facing him now for the fifth time, I think I’m familiar with him, he’s familiar with me,” Moore said. “Now it’s more so that mental game. That’s going to be the biggest challenge.”
Garrett moves around the formation a good bit — making headlines for his over-center basketball move last week against Cincinnati — but Moore expects him to mostly be lined up over the Steelers left tackle.
“It’s funny, I always see a lot of clips of him in the offseason, playing basketball. You know he’s super athletic,” Moore said. “I definitely think he’s going to come over there, for sure. I know that guy, how he thinks, how he’s wired. Especially with us going to the same college, he wants that Aggie matchup most definitely.”
While the rivalry between the two A&M products is certainly becoming a notable one, Moore said he has a lot of respect for Garrett’s prowess as an athlete.
“He’s truly 1 of 1,” he said. “When you talk about just physical specimens, the way he’s built, the way he can move, you don’t find guys that can do things the way that he does. He’s really special in that aspect.”
Now, it’s up to Moore to minimize that elite athlete and prove that he should continue to be the Steelers starting left tackle.
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