Steelers' Dan Moore still preparing for Nick Bosa regardless of holdout

Of all the people in Pittsburgh who have been feverishly tracking news out of San Francisco about Nick Bosa’s contract, you’d figure that Steelers offensive tackle Dan Moore would be No. 1 on that list.
Bosa is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year after an 18.5-sack season. But the 49ers star defensive end’s status is in doubt for this Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Steelers because he is in the midst of a contract holdout.
Bosa is entering the final year of his entry-level deal. He is scheduled to make $17.8 million on his (first-round draft choice) fifth-year option. The three-time Pro Bowler is reportedly seeking a long-term extension that would pay him more than $32 million annually.
But he hasn’t been part of the Niners’ preseason games or training camp practices. Now kickoff in Pittsburgh is coming up this weekend, and his teammates are starting to prepare themselves for Bosa’s absence.
“For us, we’ve just got to play with who we got. We would love to have Bosa, obviously. I think that’s a no-brainer. The best defensive player in NFL, and it shows,” All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga said Thursday via ProFootballTalk.com. “For us, we’ve just got to prepare as if he’s not going to be here.”
Even though Moore is likely to be the player most responsible for keeping Bosa off of quarterback Kenny Pickett Sunday, he claims to be unfazed by those headlines out west. In fact, he’s preparing with the opposite mindset.
“We’re expecting him to be in the stadium. So that’s what we’ll lean on,” Moore said.
Bosa will move around on the defensive line. In 2022, he frequently looped from an edge position to provide pressure up the middle. But of the 19 snaps that resulted in his 18.5 sacks a year ago, 12 of them began with Bosa on his defense’s right side, over the opposing left tackle where Moore plays. Seven snaps began with Bosa on the left side of the defense, over the opposing offense’s right tackle (where Chuks Okorafor plays in Pittsburgh).
“I think he’s a really good speed-to-power guy,” Moore said. “He’s really efficient with his hands and really good at lifting guys. I think he has natural leverage that allows him to do that. Obviously, (he’s) a great athlete. You’ve got to respect him in that aspect as well.”
Moore says it’s hard to draw a comparison to Bosa when thinking of other pass rushers he has faced. But one name that comes to mind is Cleveland’s Myles Garret.
“The way he moves off the ball is kind of like a Myles Garrett,” Moore said.
For some, that may be frightening, but after a rough first game against Garrett as a rookie in 2021, Moore has been better against his AFC North foe. Garrett has just one sack in his last three games against the Steelers.
Moore, who, at times, has played right tackle in practice against T.J. Watt, also sees some similarities between those two.
“T.J. is a really good, handsy guy. He’s really good at swiping. I think he and Bosa time and tackle punches. They are really alike in that aspect,” Moore said.
After a full offseason of speculation over whether he’d be able to hold off first-round draft choice Broderick Jones for the starting left tackle job, Moore has managed to do so. Now, if Bosa plays, he’ll have a massive test right off the bat to see if that was the right decision.
At least one of his fellow offensive linemen seems convinced of Moore’s abilities.
“He’s just a true professional, the way he handles himself on a daily basis,” center Mason Cole said Monday. “He always knows where he’s gonna be on the field. He’s always challenging himself to critique technique. He takes care of his body well. Just all the way through, a true professional.”
No one has ever doubted that about Moore. But Bosa is a true star. And whatever praise Moore has received so far in his NFL career has largely been compared to the limited ceiling people put on him as a young mid-round draft choice.
And compared to the lack of options behind him at the left tackle position.
Now he’s got a first-round draft choice breathing down his neck for playing time. So against players like (potentially) Bosa this week — and Garrett and Las Vegas’s Maxx Crosby the next two weeks — Moore will have to be a star himself.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.