PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He briefly moved from tackle to guard with the Steelers. It happened one game and moved right back. Max Starks tells 93.7 The Fan despite the talk, Dan Moore is not a guard and will remain at tackle.
Drafted in the fourth round two years ago, Moore wasn't expected to be a starter right away. The goal was to get him a year to learn behind Chukwuma Okorafor and Zach Banner and pick the brains of veteran offensive linemen Trai Turner and BJ Finney. Recovering from a major injury the year prior, Banner couldn't compete in training camp and Moore was already better than free agent tackle Joe Haeg, who started the previous season with Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay.
The 24-year-old from Texas A&M started the first game of his rookie season and every one since. Pro Football Focus ranked Moore the 61st best tackle in the NFL in 2022, that's up 11 spots from his grade as a rookie. Starks agrees with the assessment.
"I thought Dan got consistently better," Starks told Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller on 93.7 The Fan. "He has a lot of room to grow, which is a good thing. He hasn't tapped out his potential."
"He had his worrisome moments early on, got a little overwhelmed at different points. I think he's growing. I think he's getting a lot better. Getting more comfortable in his skin, trying to figure out the different style his quarterback will play. Now it's Kenny Pickett. He will be more adept and ready to go."
"He's also cleaning up his footwork. His footwork was really sloppy his rookie year, he cleaned it up a little bit. Now he understands how to study. How to prepare for his opponents. How to have more tricks in the bag to be able to combat a lot of the things elite edge rushers like to bring. He learned. I watched him learn on the fly and watched him get better."
Starks says a lot of the improvements just come naturally. It's taking the information from his first two seasons and growing. What the nine-year NFL vet Starks appreciates about Moore is he keeps working. He sees Moore figuring out new things, new moves, new bluffs.
"Just like a pass rusher has their pass rush moves, an offensive lineman has to have different set moves," Starks tells The PM Team on 93.7 The Fan. "Whether I'm setting deep, back, jumping a guy, a shadow set, a hook block. There are a lot of different techniques that he's still learning and figuring out how to deploy those things based off his film study."
"I see a kid that still wants to learn and is trying new things out. I love that about him. He's not complacent with what he's done. He's still worried about what can he do."
Starks had the opportunity to learn his rookie season, then it was his job. First at right tackle and then left. He would start 96 games with the Steelers winning a pair of Super Bowls. He likes what he sees from Moore.
Maybe the Steelers already have their left tackle of the future.
