Steelers Are 1 External Happening Away From Sending Dan Moore Jr. To A New City

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been involved in trade rumors throughout the 2024 offseason. The majority of them have involved the wide receiver position after General Manager Omar Khan dealt Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. Khan also made a move to bring in Justin Fields, while sending Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, as the regular season approaches, fans might remember that the head of the front office was active a year ago before the regular season kicked off. He traded Kendrick Green to the Houston Texans and Kevin Dotson to the Los Angeles Rams.

Khan proved with the moves that he does not feel obligated to keep players around that were drafted by Kevin Colbert. Fans could see more of this trend before the games that count begin. Pittsburgh has invested heavily in the offensive line in the last two drafts which could lead to a three-year starter becoming expendable in the comings weeks.

More fuel was added to this fire during Tuesday's practice, as rookie Troy Fautanu took all of the first-team reps at right tackle, while Broderick Jones and Dan Moore Jr. were splitting reps on the left side.

The Steelers aren't going to bench Jones after he earned a starting spot halfway through his rookie campaign in 2023. Fautanu working with the first team on the right could imply that the organization is already coming close to benching Moore permanently. It makes sense to have your back-to-back first-round picks ready to start on the line in 2024.

Moore has 49 starts under his belt in three seasons and would be welcomed on many rosters. He isn't necessarily looked at as a swing tackle, but one injury during camp or a preseason game for another team could lead to interest in Moore. The San Francisco 49ers also are having contractual issues with future Hall of Famer, Trent Williams. Moore would never replace him, but is a nice piece for the 49ers to have in case of injury or any kind of holdout.

Ray Fittipaldo held a fan chat on Tuesday and echoed the sentiment that Moore could be benched sooner rather than later. A starting duo of Jones and Fautanu could be on the horizon.

"I think Fautanu entering the starting lineup will happen much sooner than Broderick Jones last year. I think it still happens before the start of the regular season," Fittipaldo wrote.

If the pairing does end up being the team's 2023 and 2024 first-round picks, it might be worth it for the Steelers to get something for Moore while they still can. He will be a free agent after the 2024 campaign. It might not be imminent, but injuries are inevitable. If the wrong left tackle goes down anywhere throughout the league, Khan could make a call and offer up Moore's services for an early day three pick in 2025.

Steelers Unlikely To Re-Sign Moore In 2025 If He Isn't Traded

Based on Moore's experience, he will be due for a relatively large contract in 2025 once free agency rolls around. Pittsburgh is clearly going in a different direction based on recent drafts, so a team making a move for Moore now could also act as a one-year tryout. There are a lot of options when it comes to the lineman, but the overall takeaway should be that Khan won't be afraid to move him. If something unfortunate happens elsewhere, Moore could be gone rather quickly.

Do you think the Steelers will trade Moore? Let us know in the comments below!

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