Steelers OTA's: One position battle that isn't exactly going to plan
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Broderick Jones to be the future of the left tackle position. And while that may very well be the case, we aren't in the future, we're in the present. So with Mark Kaboly of The Athletic attending OTA's this week, he dropped a note that many Steeler fans may not be […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Broderick Jones to be the future of the left tackle position.
And while that may very well be the case, we aren't in the future, we're in the present.
So with Mark Kaboly of The Athletic attending OTA's this week, he dropped a note that many Steeler fans may not be ready to hear.
Despite the reports that Dan Moore Jr. self-servingly started practicing position drills at right tackle, Kaboly seems to think that the battle at left tackle is far from settled, with the incumbent having the upper hand:
It’s going to be difficult for rookie first-round pick Broderick Jones to supplant Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle to start the season, said Kaboly. Don’t confuse that with it can’t happen because it can. But he will have to show something special in August. We’ve seen it before with Maurkice Pouncey, but Pouncey at least got first-team reps at guard his rookie year in the spring.
Jones is going to be a stud. Maybe just a stud in October and beyond.
Now before you start panicking, the consensus amongst the draft evaluation scene, was that Jones needs time to develop. Jones left Georgia as a redshirt Sophmore playing only two real seasons for the Dawgs. The talented tackle is also very young, having just turned 22 a couple of weeks ago.
In my opinion, it would almost be more concerning if Dan Moore Jr. was losing the battle, especially given the deficiencies in Jones' footwork. The Steelers have to be 100% confident that Jones has refined his technique before he plays one of the five most critical positions on a football field.
So while Dan Moore doesn't present the upside of Broderick Jones, Pittsburgh has two years' worth of sample size with Moore, something the rookie obviously lacks. I think a proper food analogy best sorts out this conundrum:
Jones is the Ossobuco on the menu at an Italian restaurant, leaving you enticed but hesitant, whereas Moore is the chicken parm. What you see is what you get.
So for the sake of not only saving their own butts on a draft pick they traded up for but also the butt of Kenny Pickett, it's best the Steelers continue to mold Jones', supplanting him into the starting lineup at some point during the middle of the season, similar to Kaboly's hypothesis.
Featured image via: © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
