2023 has become a season to forget for Steelers starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr. Moore has struggled after having an encouraging offseason and has become part of why the offensive line has taken significant steps back instead of meaningful moves forward late in the season.
As it stands, Moore is one of the worst pass-blocking tackles in the NFL, if not the worst. He has allowed 48 pressures, the second-highest in the NFL. But his pressure rate allowed is up at 11.2 percent, and that is the clear worst mark in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Moore’s struggles have exacerbated the circumstances for Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks, who have already come short too often.
The Steelers allowed 20 pressures as a unit on Saturday, with a team-high eight pressures. That was his highest since Week 1, when he allowed nine pressures against the San Francisco 49ers. In other words, Moore is becoming a massive anchor to the unit, and it will likely be one of the spots they look to address in the offseason. Overall, Moore has allowed seven sacks on top of those pressures, which puts him among the league’s worst there, too.
Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook are intriguing players who flashed in the preseason, but Moore, even if benched for Chuks Okorafor at some point this year, likely is seeing his snaps dwindle next season. It is uncertain if the team even trusts Moore to be the swing tackle, as they would rather play Jones there than move Moore. That all comes together to create a bad storm this offseason for Moore, but Pittsburgh will likely be looking to add and reinforce their offensive line once again.
Omar Khan and Andy Weidl talked this offseason about instilling that will on teams, but so far, that has not come to fruition due to overall inconsistencies along the offensive line, and Moore is at the top of that list.