Tag: Chuks Okorafor

Steelers beat writer gives insight on the Dan Moore Jr. situation

The Steelers aren’t likely to replace Dan Moore Jr. in the starting lineup this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have turned over a huge number of players this offseason in an attempt to get this team on the winning track in the playoffs. One player who fans debate over a great deal is starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr. Many fans think replacing him is a top priority in the 2024 NFL draft but beat writer Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports offered up a counterpoint that many fans won’t like to hear.

The Steelers appreciate Dan Moore so much more than anyone outside their South Side walls. Don’t be anywhere near sure they’re aiming to replace him. Their priority on the offensive line’s at center and, within that, it’ll now shift to the NFL Draft.

Many NFL draft pundits have been mocking an offensive tackle like Georgia’s Amarius Mims to the Steelers in the first round but we’ve stuck to our guns that there are far greater needs like center and wide receiver. The Steelers released Chuks Okorafor which was the right move but just reinforced the notion that the Steelers are committed to Moore, at least for the upcoming season.

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Patriots sign former Steelers OT Chuks Okorafor

Chuks Okorafor was benched by the Steelers last season.

It didn’t take very long for an NFL starting offensive tackle to find work. Former Pittsburgh Steelers starting right tackle Chuks Okorafor has signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots that could be worth up to $8.35 million.

Okorafor was the Steelers third-round pick in 2018 out of Northwestern. He assumed the starting right tackle job in 2020 and was there for three full seasons. But midway through the 2023 season, Okorafor got benched in favor of Broderick Jones after Okorafor was overheard trashing the team on the sidelines during a game.

Okorafor definitely wasn’t the worst offensive lineman on the team last season but his release was as much about saving money as anything else. The Steelers still need to decide if Dan Moore Jr. is a starter or not but with a more fiscally conservative contract, Pittsburgh is willing to keep him around. Okorafor should compete for a start job immediately with the Patriots.

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Steelers officially release OT Chuks Okorafor

The Steelers benched Chuks Okorafor last season after being the regular starter from 2020 on.

On Tuesday, the NFL transaction wire noted that the Pittsburgh Steelers had officially released offensive tackle Chuks Okorafor. This comes a week after it was first reported that Okorafor was set to be released as a way to cut some salary cap.

The move frees up $8.75 million in salary cap space and gets the Steelers closer to cap compliance. The team still needs to trim around $4 million more to hit the break-even point.

Okorafor was benched back in late October after a humbling loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Okorafor was overheard criticizing the team from the sidelines. Was this a valid reason to sit him down or was this just an excuse to hand the job over to then-rookie Broderick Jones? We will never know.

With Okorafor gone, it leaves Jones and Dan Moore Jr. as the only viable offensive tackles on the roster and makes this a top offseason need.

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Steelers 2024 offseason roster – Offensive tackles

Here are the offensive tackles on the Steelers roster heading into free agency.

The Pittsburgh Steelers already released former starting right offensive tackle Chuks Okorafor and we are still several weeks from the official start of free agency. Here are the remaining offensive tackles on the roster.

Steelers OT Chuks Okorafor benched for saying the quiet part out loud

We found out why Chuks Okorafor was benched and we can’t say we blame him.

When we first heard that Pittsburgh Steelers starting right tackle Chuks Okorafor was benched for something he said during the Steelers loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, we assumed it had to be pretty egregious. Now, according to Steelers beat writer Dejan Kovacevic, we know the reason and honestly, I applaud Okorafor for what he did.

According to Kovacevic, head coach Mike Tomlin overheard Okorafor on the sidelines in the final minutes of the Steelers loss to the Jaguars and said the offense might as well kneel if they are going to keep calling these plays. Maybe not the best plan for it to happen but Okorafor basically said what every fan has been screaming for two months. Don’t punish the man for being the voice of the people.

As much as we are excited to see Broderick Jones playing so well at tackle, we don’t like seeing Okorafor being punished for venting his frustration about this pitiful offense. Meanwhile, Tomlin is completely indifferent to the behavior of wide receiver George Pickens, probably because he doesn’t have a first-round pick waiting in the wings to replace him.

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Steelers OT Chuks Okorafor expects to be benched again this week

It sounds like Broderick Jones is starting again on Sunday.

No one is saying exactly what Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Chuks Okorafor said to get himself benched last week against the Tennessee Titans but he seems to think whatever it is it was bad enough that he expects to be benched again this week against the Green Bay Packers.

Okorafor spoke to the media on Wednesday and while he wouldn’t elaborate on what exactly he did wrong but he did begrudgingly say he expects this week to be the same as last week meaning rookie Broderick Jones gets another start.

Jones was great last Sunday in place of Okorafor. Despite being a natural left tackle, you would have never known it by the way he played on the right side. Jones’ combo of power and athleticism is something the Steelers haven’t had at tackle in a long time and his presence had a significant impact on how well the Steelers ran the football against the Titans.

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Steelers T Chuks Okorafor reveals why he was benched by Mike Tomlin

Chuks Okorafor was not benched for poor play last week but instead for some things he said.

It came as a surprise on Thursday night when it came out that Pittsburgh Steelers rookie offensive tackle Broderick Jones was getting the start at right tackle over Chuks Okorafor. Okorafor hadn’t been on the injury report that week and his play hadn’t been any more of a concern than that of starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr.

So why the change?

Well, Okorafor told the media why it happened. Sort of. According to Okorafor, when he talked to the press after the game, he was healthy but got benched for some things he said during last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Okorafor didn’t expand on the context of his comments but said “The way the game was going last week, I kind of said stuff that I shouldn’t say. I just, being in Year 6, I can’t like act out the way I was acting out.”

We can read between the lines here and assume Okorafor was openly criticizing either teammates or coaches during the game about how poorly the offense was playing. While we wouldn’t disagree with Okorafor as last week’s offense was not great, we applaud head coach Mike Tomlin for trying to squash that sort of mutiny in a hurry.

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Report: Steelers OT Broderick Jones to start at RT vs Titans

There is a report that Pittsburgh is making a change in the starting lineup versus the Titans.

According to the Pittsburgh Steelers fan account SteelerNation, there is a change coming to the Steelers starting lineup this week against the Tennessee Titans. They have reported that Pittsburgh is going to bench starting right tackle Chuks Okorafor and rookie Broderick Jones will start in his place.

Pittsburgh needs to find a way to spark the offense and Okorafor hasn’t played very well. But neither has starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr. I suppose Pittsburgh felt like a change had to happen but in their view, Moore is a better option to keep in the starting lineup and adding Jones on the right could help with the run offense.

Jones played five snaps last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars as the team’s sixth offensive lineman in run-heavy sets and did a solid job. For the season Jones has played 126 total snaps, has had zero penalties and allowed no sacks.

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Pittsburgh Steelers offense: 5 studs through season’s first half

Steelers who have had stellar seasons through eight weeks.

Haters hated. Doubters doubted. Yet here we are midway through the regular season already. It’s hard to believe.

No one would’ve guessed the Pittsburgh Steelers would be undefeated at 7-0 eight weeks in either.

Here are eight reasons why the Steelers remain unbeaten.

Steelers OL coach Shaun Sarrett talks right tackle position battle going down to the wire

Steelers offensive line coach is in no rush to name a starter at right tackle.

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The one position on offense still up in the air for the Pittsburgh Steelers is right tackle. With Matt Feiler moving inside to replace Ramon Foster at left guard, it leaves a rather significant hole on the right side of the offensive line.

This means there is a competition brewing between Chuks Okorafor and Zach Banner for the final starting spot. According to offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett, he is in no hurry to pick a winner and says this battle could go all the way up to the start of the regular season.

A situation like this is complicated by the fact there will be no preseason games to evaluate these guys against opposing defenses. Going back to game film, Banner probably has the edge and he is the player we are rooting for. But no one should be shocked if Okorafor’s athleticism ends up putting him over the top.

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