When the Steelers selected Dan Moore Jr. with the 128th pick in last year's NFL Draft, the fourth-round selection was seen as a pick for the future.
A year ago at this time, suggesting Moore would be the team's starting left tackle in 2021 would have elicited laughs.
But with Zach Banner struggling to return from an ACL injury, the Steelers were forced to insert Moore at left tackle and move Chuks Okorafor to the right side to account for the loss of Banner.
All Moore did was log 1,125 snaps last season as a rookie -- including special teams -- playing a high-pressure position that many teams are loath to play a rookie, let alone one who was a fourth-round pick.
Moore's seven sacks allowed was tied for 10th-most in the NFL, while his five penalties were tied for 33rd-most among the league's offensive linemen.
But neither tell the real story of his rookie season. It was a whirlwind for the former Texas A&M star, who didn't get a chance to step back and take a look at everything until after his rookie season was complete.
"I think it was in our coach’s exit meetings and I sat down with (Mike) Tomlin and he said, ‘How are you feeling?’ I said, ‘Man, the season was so long.’ " Moore told me. "I felt like it was never going to end. He said, ‘That’s the business we are in.’ It was kind of taking a step back and realizing you kind of accomplished something. That was big."
The only rookie offensive lineman selected after Moore who played more snaps than him last season was the Chiefs' Trey Smith. But Smith, who fell to the sixth round because of medical concerns, played guard, not left tackle.
When Moore speaks of what he accomplished, that is what it is he is referring. Not many rookies start for their teams at left tackle, let alone ones taken in the fourth round.
"For sure," Moore said. "But like Coach Tomlin always says, you can’t blink. And that’s something I tried not to do. I just stayed in my role every day, just doing what was asked of me and doing it to the best of my ability."
Getting thrown into the fire after going straight from a season at Texas A&M and then an offseason of training for the draft didn't allow much down time a year ago.
This year, Moore feels like he's much better prepared for the rigors that await him. And it's a big reason why the Steelers feel so much better about the 23-year-old moving forward.
"No time off," Moore told me of where he was at a year ago at this time. "I think that really helped me in a sense because I didn’t really have any down time to think about things. It was just kind of being thrown in and one thing after another. I tried my best to handle it like a professional throughout the scheme."
But he did get that time off to rest and reflect this offseason.
"I had to. With the amount of snaps I had played, my body would have revolted," he said with a laugh. "It gave me time to deal with the mental side. I definitely was able to just decompress."
MORE STEELERS
2. Now that the Steelers got their deal done with Minkah Fitzpatrick, look for the team to open contract negotiations with Chris Boswell and Diontae Johnson. The Steelers are very methodical when it comes to working on big deals. And everything is done in order. That doesn't appear it is going to change with Omar Khan now the GM. In fact, it might be even more the case, since he is their chief negotiator. Khan handling those duties, however, cuts out a middle man. He now no longer has to run the numbers past the GM first before going to Art Rooney II for approval. Now, he can do that directly. -- Lolley
3. Fitzpatrick was quick to note that the new contract he signed was more than just about him reaching this career plateau. "This has not been an individual effort. I’ve had people house me when I didn’t have a home," he said. "I’ve had people feed me when I didn’t have food. I’ve had people take me to practice when I didn’t have a ride. I just want to thank everyone who made this possible." For those who were not aware, Fitzpatrick's family was displaced by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 when it hit the greater New York-New Jersey area where they lived. Imagine being homeless and then 10 years later signing a contract that includes a $36-million signing bonus. -- Lolley
4. Not only was Fitzpatrick on hand for his press conference on Thursday after signing his new deal, but Cam Heyward was there, as well, lending his support. You had better believe that every time a player within an organization signs a big new deal, his teammates are happy for him. I can recall the celebrations that took place at Saint Vincent College when LaMarr Woodley signed his new deal early in training camp in 2011. Teammates walked by him singing "For Love of Money" by the O'Jays. They were truly happy that Woodley signed a six-year, $61.5-million deal. Now, that one didn't work out, but players do like to see teammates get rewarded. -- Lolley
5. Kenny Pickett is now one of just two unsigned first-round draft picks from this year's draft. New England's Cole Strange, selected 29th overall, is the other. I'm not sure what the holdup is with Strange, but for Pickett, it comes down to guarantees. The only quarterback taken in the first round of this year's draft, Pickett's draft slot is expected to get $14.067 million with a $7.4-million signing bonus. Last year, the first 28 picks of the draft had their contracts fully guaranteed. That included Najee Harris. But with Pickett the only quarterback taken in the first round this year, I'm told agent Bruce Ayrault of WME Sports would like to get something over slot value for his client, even if it's only slightly so. That also could include playing time bonuses. That said, Pickett isn't expected to miss any of training camp in six weeks. These things now always get done. -- Lolley
6. JuJu Smith-Schuster's statement over the weekend that he could see himself returning to the Steelers some day is something the player says to satiate his fans. Smith-Schuster's deal with the Chiefs has a cap hit of $2.89 million this season. Yes, he could make more than that with incentives, but the Steelers didn't make a strong pitch to keep him. The team knows more about Smith-Schuster's medical issues than any other and didn't really try to bring him back. -- Lolley
PIRATES
7. A Major League Baseball scout I've known forever told me yesterday he'd envision the Yankees as being a strong — and logical — suitor for Bryan Reynolds should he ever be all-the-way available on the trade market. But the scout added that hasn't been the case, and it certainly wouldn't be now after a two-month slow start preceding Reynolds’ June surge. — Dejan Kovacevic
8. That clubhouse needed to win that game Wednesday. This whole road trip had been tough and quieter than it normally is, but there was a visual sigh of relief among the group knowing that they weren't going into the off day with a 10-game losing streak. It was just one win, but it was important for them. -- Alex Stumpf in St. Louis
9. So some may wonder why the Pirates replaced Duane Underwood Jr. with catcher Jason Delay when the former went on the COVID-19 injured list this week. Or, to take it another level, why did the Pirates bring back the taxi squad for just one player?
Delay was brought up not with the intention of him joining the roster, but because they were down a bullpen catcher. When Underwood was placed on the injured list shortly before first pitch against the Cardinals Monday, there was no way to get a player from Indianapolis to St. Louis in time, so they replaced a pitcher with a catcher, temporarily.
It's a good deal for Delay, too, who gets to call himself a big-leaguer, gets a boost in minor-league salaries for the rest of his career and the option to buy into the players association's health insurance plan. He even got to stick around in the clubhouse and continue being a bullpen catcher after he was officially optioned after the first half of Tuesday's doubleheader. -- Stumpf
10. Underwood's trip to the injured list brought Heath Hembree back sooner than the Pirates wanted, but they cut his rehab assignment short out of necessity. The Pirates are short on pitchers on the 40 man roster, and their only options were recalling Aaron Fletcher again or Miguel Yajure, the latter of whom just came back from injury and is being stretched out as a starter again. So Hembree is back a little sooner than expected and getting another look. -- Stumpf
11. Expect to see more curveballs from JT Brubaker in his coming starts. He had been having conversations about it with Chris Stratton and Oscar Marin lately, and after a few weeks of searching, he told me he has a feel for it again. Brubaker will still throw his changeup and four-seamer, but he's mostly moved off them in favor of more sinkers and sliders. The curveball could be his third pitch going forward. -- Stumpf
12. After not participating in many fielding drills for most of the regular season, Daniel Vogelbach started being more of a participant since coming off the injured list, especially during this road trip. It was an obvious gear up in case he needed to get into a game, like he did Tuesday. He also showed his rust, making an error in his only frame. -- Stumpf
13. Ben Gamel, Josh VanMeter, Jake Marisnick and Kevin Newman all traveled with the team this road trip despite being on the injured list. That's fairly unusual for players, as many opt to do rehab at their home parks if they are a week or so away from a rehab assignment, but they wanted to be with the team. -- Stumpf
14. Michael Chavis is sporting a noticeable black eye after getting hit by an off-target throw in the face Monday. He says he's fine and laughed it off. No question that he's tough, especially since he homered shortly after getting plunked. -- Stumpf
15. Oneil Cruz is going to be promoted soon. Sorry, that's the best I can offer right now. You can never write these things in stone, but this homestand is a very safe bet. The outfield is definitely in play, but expect the bulk of the early playing time to be at shortstop. -- Stumpf
16. And even though Super-2 calculations are never easy to project, going based off of the last three years' cutoff dates, Cruz would not be able to reach the threshold to qualify for the extra year of arbitration at this point. Emphasis on arbitration year. The Pirates have been in the clear for the extra year of control since the end of April. -- Stumpf
17. One promotion that did happen this week is that Mike Burrows is going to Class AAA Indianapolis. Talking to him last month, the No. 7 prospect had an unflinching belief he was ready for the next level, and the results certainly backed him up. Now the question is could we see him in the majors this year. Going based off precedent, Max Kranick was promoted from Altoona to a spot start in the majors with just four starts with Indianapolis last year. -- Stumpf
18. Brennan Malone finally returned to game action this week for Class Low-A Bradenton, and while there was still rust, his best fastball hit 97 mph and his best curve was nearly 3,000 RPM, but of which are well, well above even the major-league averages. After being acquired in the Starling Marte trade, the 21-year-old right-hander can't afford to miss much more time if he wants to get back on a major-league trajectory, and while he was inconsistent, the report on him shows that he still has the first-round draft pick stuff. -- Stumpf
PENGUINS
19. It doesn't seem like the front office promotions made by the Penguins this week will involve much actual change in duties. New assistant general manager Chris Pryor was already involved in personnel decisions, Wilkes-Barre general manager Erik Heasley had already served as interim GM for the team, and president of business operations Kevin Acklin had already seen an increased role this past year, handling a lot of the duties that were previously David Morehouse's. Promoting Andy Saucier from video coach to the new role of hockey operations analyst/pro personnel is another sign that the team plans to increase the usage of analytics next season. I wrote here last week that the Penguins plan on hiring a third data scientist this summer, that's a move that is still to come. Saucier's role will involve going between those data scientists and the coaching staff in order to effectively utilize that information -- Taylor Haase at PPG Paints Arena
20. Radim Zohorna is training with a number of current NHL players this summer under Czech strength coach Milos Peca. Zohorna is working with a group that includes Bruins defenseman Jakub Zboril, Hurricanes forward Martin Necas, and Sharks forward Tomas Hertl. -- Haase
21. One contract to keep an eye on this summer is the PPG Paints Arena drink supplier. I believe the Penguins have one of two buildings in the NHL (the other being Anaheim's arena) that doesn't have either Coke or Pepsi products, and instead uses Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which includes RC Cola, A&W, and 7 Up, among other drinks. I've heard that there's a good possibility that there will be a switch to either Coke or Pepsi soon. -- Haase