Brian Baldinger Detailed Why The Steelers Need To Start Dan Moore Jr. Over Rookie Broderick Jones In 2023

The Pittsburgh Steelers gave 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones more playing time than anyone else on offense on Friday night during the preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, totaling 49 of 60 snaps. He had an up-and-down showing that is sure to teach him some important lessons as he continues to learn the ropes of professional football.    

Despite all the time on the field with three different quarterbacks, Jones didn't take any reps in the game with the first-team offense. All 11 of those snaps belonged to incumbent starter Dan Moore Jr. According to Audacy Sports NFL insider, Brian Baldinger, for the time being, the team should continue to give the former Texas A&M tackle picked in the fourth-round by Pittsburgh the starter's job. That is unless Jones takes a massive step forward. 

The 11-year offensive lineman himself with the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles, before becoming an NFL analyst, praised Moore during an appearance on The Cook & Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday. He said he's seen tremendous improvement from the two-year starter. 

"I wouldn't have any trouble putting Moore out there because I know how hard he's worked," Baldinger said. "I think he's improved his core strength and I think he's improved because he has played. I think his upper body strength and technique have gotten a lot better."  

Baldinger was careful to also point out that there are still weaknesses to Moore's game that he wonders if they will ever be fixed. He noted that Moore is probably not going to get any better than he already is physically and he sees a stiffness that he doesn't think is "ever going to go away."

Even with his faults, Baldinger gave a ringing endorsement of Moore starting the season as the team's starting left tackle. Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who played one season with Moore, has also seen him working hard to stake his claim to a starting position he's likely holding until Jones is ready to take over. 

Steelers Clearly Willing To Spend The Time To Help Jones Improve

Baldinger made sure to point out that Jones is still quite young for NFL standards coming to Pittsburgh as a 22-year-old. He's also fairly inexperienced having started only 19 games at the University of Georgia. Baldinger said even though Jones might have some rough moments in exhibition play, he needs to get that experience now. 

"It's clear they wanted to give him some work playing with different quarterbacks and guys next to him," he said. "I think it’s important for him to see as much as he possibly can because there are some things he really needs to work on. Sometimes, you need to play games to learn it." 

Baldinger said like many young linemen, his technique still needs work and he will need to add more strength to help deal with the elite pass rushers in the NFL, but he saw an elite quickness from him to get off the ball. The biggest thing for him right now Baldinger said is to make sure he doesn't lose confidence. 

Baldinger saw the team giving Jones some help throughout the course of the first preseason game with Nate Herbig helping out at left guard. Also having tight ends give a chip to the opposing pass rushers. One of the biggest things Baldinger said he needs to work on is his footwork on the inside.  

It might not be what Steelers fans envisioned when the team made the aggressive move in the draft to jump the New York Jets, but Baldinger sees Jones as a project who still needs some significant work to get the level he needs to be at to start in the NFL. He acknowledged that lots of young linemen he sees coming into the league have similar things they need to improve.

Just because he's a first-round pick, Baldinger said that doesn't mean you hand him the keys right away. He'll get plenty of opportunities to show he's learning from his coaches and mistakes in the preseason. If he can put those into practice, it might be sooner rather than later that he takes over for Moore. 

What would you need to see from Jones in the final preseason games to win the job? Are you as comfortable as Baldinger is throwing Moore back out as the starter?