Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Absolutely Gleeful That Prediction About Dan Moore Making 1st String Came True

The Pittsburgh Steelers face the San Francisco 49ers at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers will be playing for the first time at home on opening day since 2014. The Pittsburgh offense is coming off of a perfect preseason, where they scored five touchdowns on five possessions. The 49ers have one of the best defenses in the NFL and will give Mike Tomlin and Matt Canada an accurate measure of just how far the offense has come since the end of 2022.

One of the big questions heading into the 2023 season is just how much the offensive line has improved after the Omar Khan and Andy Weidl makeover. The Steelers replaced Kevin Dotson with Isaac Seumalo, which is a significant upgrade. The other big move was trading up to draft Broderick Jones from the back-to-back National Champion Georgia Bulldogs to play left tackle.

Steelers Great Ben Roethlisberger Praises Dan Moore Jr. "He's Saying No, I Want That Left Tackle Job"

On Friday night, Ben Roethlisberger and Spencer T’eo unveiled the 33rd episode of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger. The duo welcomed Charlie Batch as the first repeat guest on the podcast. Roethlisberger was in the mood to crow about his prediction regarding Dan Moore Jr. and the coming challenge of trying to block the highest-paid defender in the NFL, Nick Bosa.

Moore Jr. has 33 games of starting experience and Tomlin's decision to keep him at the top of the depth chart for Week 1 should come as no surprise. Roethlisberger talked about the tough job of containing Bosa.

“I think it would be good for Dan,” Roethlisberger declared. “A huge challenge for Dan. I think he’s excited about it. Go back, you heard it here first, people around the world. I said Dan Moore is a dude. Dan Moore is a guy that I loved as a quarterback because he cared. I think he felt he got slighted. He had good motivation. He hasn’t given an inch. The door is not even cracked. It’s not even a conversation, in my opinion.”

Unlike his counterpart on the 2022 left side of the line, Moore Jr. used the arrival of Jones as motivation. Batch observed that he had a remarkable training camp and agreed that Moore was solidly entrenched as the left tackle. Jones did play some right tackle in college and could transition temporarily if Chukwuma Okorafor struggles in his role. Pat Meyer and Tomlin likely have the luxury of bringing Jones along slowly, like the last offensive lineman picked in the first round, David DeCastro.

Roethlisberger asked his guest and former backup quarterback his thoughts on the left tackle situation at this point. Batch, who does the Steelers pre and post-game shows during the regular season, was open about giving his specific conditions for how Moore Jr. could lose the job during the season. 

"It's gonna have to be two (bad games)," Batch answered. "When you look at where it's at, it didn't surprise me at all. If Dan is not starting week one, it is because the business of the NFL has taken over. That's it. When you look where Dan is at, it lit a fire underneath him. Here he is now, building on what he did last year. Of course, when you have a first-rounder, the business of the NFL is going to happen at some point. Kudos to Dan."

Pittsburgh did not spend a first round draft pick on Jones for him to sit on the bench. Jones demonstrated on running plays that he was already an above-average run blocker during the preseason. He lost focus and needed to finish several pass block reps, which led to sacks and turnovers. It is important to remember that he is a rookie, and the inconsistency should go away with repetition. 

"I tell you what is going to be interesting," Roethlisberger smiled. "What's going to happen going forward? You said it best: the business of the NFL. Say Dan Moore goes out and balls out. There is no way they sit that number one pick next year. There's no way Chuck, you know it. Does that mean that Dan has to go to right (tackle)? Does that mean that Chuks is out? Be prepared if, in 18-19 weeks if, Dan Moore is playing at a high level. Let's see what they do?"

Okorafor is playing on a lucrative three-year contract extension, but has a large cap hit in 2024. If he is inconsistent in 2023, it may make sense for him to be the odd man out instead of Moore Jr.

If Jones lives up to his potential, he will be more talented than Moore and Okorafor. In the NFL, more than talent is needed. Keeping the first-round draft pick on the bench is easy as long as the team is winning. If the team struggles at any point, fans will start to wonder why Jones is not on the field, and if the team does not handle it correctly, they could begin to turn on the rookie for not forcing his way into the lineup. 

Roethlisberger was the first to predict Moore's ability to hold onto the left tackle job. The incumbent tackle has performed much better next to Seumalo than Dotson, and the change at left guard could be the reason for Moore's resurgence. Batch and Roethlisberger agreed that if the two veterans hold off Jones through 2023, one will not get the opportunity to do so in 2024. It's just business. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Will Jones find his way into the lineup during the season, and if so, is it a bad thing for the 2023 Steelers? Please comment below or on my TwitterX: @thebubbasq. 

#SteelerNation