Dan Moore Jr. defending Steelers traitor should cement his roster cut fate

The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line is barren enough, so despite what Dan Moore Jr. says or does he is likely to make the 53-man roster. Moore Jr.'s versatility makes him an asset on the offensive line, even if he isn't particularly good at any one position. For now, the Steelers are using him at left tackle, because why not let one of your worst players protect your veteran quarterback's blind side?

The Steelers have a young offensive line, headlined by two recent first-round picks in Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu, as well as second-round center Zach Frazier. As FanSided's Zach Rotman pointed out in his piece previewing the Steelers 53-man roster, Pittsburgh's young core didn't step up enough in camp to warrant the release of Moore Jr.

"If those youngsters had locked up starting spots, the Steelers might have had reason to release Moore. Depth is always nice, but they could've saved roughly $3.36 million by cutting him...Well, things have changed. Not only has their offensive line struggled, but Fautanu left their first game due to injury. He might be available to play Week 1, but that's far from a certainty."

I tend to agree with Rotman, and as much as I disagree with Moore Jr.'s take about former Pittsburgh draft pick Kendrick Green, he should be a roster lock.

Dan Moore Jr. comes to defense of former Steelers lineman Kendrick Green

If you think Moore Jr. is a revolving door for pass-rushers, Green was an open doorway.

"He was in an unfortunate situation," tackle Dan Moore Jr. said of Green. "Being a guard in college and then having to make that transition to center and having to be the guy Day 1, obviously it is a tough task and it hurt his development a lot. We had to skip a lot of things in the process just to get him ready for Week 1, and it kind of sped his development up a little bit, so he wasn't really able to learn the little nuances and techniques a center may have to learn."

Moore Jr. compared Green to Frazier, which is like comparing apples and oranges. Frazier started dozens of games at center in Morgantown. Green was forced to move positions because he was inept at any one spot. Wait, that sounds familiar...

To make matters worse, Green engaged in a war of words with Pittsburgh sports analysts, fans and even the team after he was traded to the Houston Texans.

"I’m glad it happened. I’m glad I’m not there anymore," Green said before a rematch Houston would win handily last season. "I’m just looking at it as just another game, going out there to play my best. Just good that I’ll see some familiar faces on the other side. Got put in a pretty tough spot when I was there, and just think it’s fortunate the way it worked out."

In the end, it all worked out, as Green has fit in nicely with Houston and CJ Stroud. However, as even the man himself pointed out, Green needed a change of scenery. The Steelers gave him a lifeline, and he ought to be grateful.