There are a lot of reasons for Tennessee Titans fans to feel optimistic in 2025. The team drafted Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, finally offering the chance at a quarterback with the upside to be among the league's elite passers. Tennessee hasn't had a truly elite quarterback since Steve McNair, and its last top draft pick at the position, Marcus Mariota, wound up being a bust.
Unfortunately for the Titans and for Ward, the team signed a left tackle to protect his blind side who simply isn't that good. And, to make matters worse, the Titans gave him a four-year, $82 million contract.
With that deal, Dan Moore became one of the highest-paid tackles in the NFL. That'd be just fine if there were evidence he could hold up for Tennessee, but that's simply not the case. This has a chance to go down as one of the worst moves that any NFL team made this offseason.
Tennessee severely overpaid for Dan Moore this offseason
Dan Moore joins Tennessee from Pittsburgh, where he was the team's full-time starter for four seasons. Despite that, Moore's stats aren't great. For example, PFF gives Moore a pass-blocking grade of 66.2 for the 2024 season, which ranks 65th among 140 tackles.
Having a middle-of-the-road starting tackle can be fine ... if you're paying him like a middle-of-the-road tackle. Moore on a rookie deal was fine for the Steelers, but now he's on a big-money contract. That's going to make his shortcomings feel magnified.
And those shortcomings are plentiful. PFF assigns 12 sacks allowed to Moore, which ranks 140th. He has not proven he can play left tackle at a high level, which is what Tennessee needs to protect its rookie quarterback.
The Titans luckily made one really good move on the right side of the line, adding guard Kevin Zeitler to beef up the interior. I love the decision, and he'll be a big help for Ward. Still, because of the positions the two play, Moore having a disappointing season in Tennessee can make this entire offensive line look worse. His downside is greater than Zeitler's upside, and that's a major issue!
Look: Maybe a change in scenery will be good for Moore. Maybe Tennessee will be the right fit for him. At the moment, though, his deal looks like a major overpay and something that could stunt Ward's development. Young quarterbacks need reliable blind-side protection, and at the moment the Titans do not have it.