The Pittsburgh Steelers were wise to let left tackle Dan Moore Jr. sign elsewhere in NFL free agency.

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t appear to make much of an effort when it came to re-signing veteran left tackle Dan Moore Jr. in NFL free agency.

The very durable and consistent — albeit unspectacular — Moore was expected to land a huge payday from some OL-needy team or another, and the Steelers spent first-round picks on offensive tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu in 2023 and 2024, so reuniting with the long-time starter didn’t really make much sense.

In the end, the expected outcome occurred — only Moore made even more money than what was predicted, inking a four-year, $82 million deal ($50 million guaranteed) with the Tennessee Titans.

Needless to say, this agreement turned plenty of heads around the league, and multiple analysts even deemed it to be one of the five worst contracts of 2025 free agency, including The 33rd Team’s Tyler Brooke.

“It’s hard to blame the Tennessee Titans for wanting to bolster their offensive line after how this past season went. However, with so many tackle options re-signing with teams, the free agent market quickly became sparse, and the Titans might have gone too overboard to find any kind of starting-caliber left tackle,” Brooke wrote after slamming the Moore deal as “overpaid.”

“Dan Moore Jr. gets a contract that puts him comfortably in the top 10 of highest-paid left tackles in the league,” Brooke continued. “The $50 million guaranteed is especially shocking, putting him fourth among current LTs in guaranteed money.”

“It’s not like Moore is an All-Pro caliber of left tackle, either. He allowed 12 sacks and 41 pressures just this past season and has never allowed fewer than seven sacks during his four years in the league,” the analyst reasoned. Warning: “That’s an awful lot of money to give to an unproven left tackle.”

Pro Football Network Agrees That Titans Spent Way Too Much on Ex-Steelers LT Dan Moore Jr.

Along with Brooke, Pro Football Network agreed that the Steelers were wise to let Moore walk at a price tag like this one, ranking his contract as one of the five “worst” in a list shared with Heavy on Steelers.

“At no point has Moore ranked in the top half of the NFL among left tackles in pressure rate allowed,” Pro Football Network argued. “Three of his four seasons have placed him in the bottom seven. While he gets credit for durability (starting 66 of 68 possible games), Moore’s performance suggests his ideal role is as a swing tackle or short-term starter.”

That appeared to be Pittsburgh’s plan for Moore in 2024, at least until Fautanu and James Daniels got hurt — among others.

“Offensive tackles were in high demand once Ronnie Stanley and Alaric Jackson signed extensions before the start of free agency,” Pro Football Network acknowledged. “In that sense, it’s understandable why the Titans spent on Moore to avoid missing out entirely.”

They also noted that Tennessee may have structured the deal to include “an out” after the first two seasons, “if needed.” Although that is still unclear at this time.

“Moore will have to make significant improvements to justify his salary,” the football news and analysis site concluded.

Steelers Counting on Former First Rounders Troy Fautanu & Broderick Jones to Take the Next Step in 2025

While it’s fair to say that Moore was overpaid, the Steelers would probably love to have him back in 2025 for some added insurance. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works with free agents at coveted positions.

With Moore signing elsewhere, Pittsburgh appears to be plunging headfirst into the deep end of the pool as they rely on the development of Jones and Fautanu.

The latter started one game as a rookie before taking his place on the injured reserve. And although he played very well at right tackle in limited action, there could be growing pains assuming Fautanu stays healthy.

Jones is the larger concern. The hope is that the third-year pro settles into the left tackle role better than he did at right tackle, especially in pass protection.

Jones was charged with 11 sacks, 10 QB hits and 45 total quarterback pressures in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus, but faired decently well as a run blocker.