The Pittsburgh Steelers spent a first-round pick in each of the last two drafts on the offensive tackle position, trading up to take Broderick Jones in 2023 before selecting Troy Fautanu at No. 20 overall in 2024. While Jones wasn’t a Day 1 starter as a rookie, he eventually worked his way into the starting lineup. He will start this season, while Fautanu could be a Day 1 starter as he has more college experience than Jones had. However, while Jones primarily played right tackle last season, his natural position is left tackle, which is also where Fautanu played the majority of his reps in college.
On The North Shore Drive podcast, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said that Jones and Fautanu will both start, likely ahead of Week 1, but the question is what side either will play.
“At some point this summer, early fall, Fautanu and Broderick Jones will be starters on the offensive line,” he said. “To me, the only question is who lines up where, who’s on left, who’s on right. That’s the only question that is unresolved at this point.”
Fittipaldo also said that if Fautanu can handle right tackle, a position where he only played two snaps in-game during his time at Washington, then Jones will move back to the left side. It sounds as if the Steelers really just want to see if Fautanu can hold his own at right tackle, and even though he said he cross-trained in practices at Washington, it’s still not something that he’ll be totally comfortable with this early into practice.
Jones worked on both sides in practice yesterday, and while it seems as if the Steelers want to make him their left tackle, he said he doesn’t care whether or not he plays left or right. He’s more natural at left tackle, but he did get 635 snaps on the right side last season, so it’s not as if it’s something he can’t do. He did have his struggles, especially toward the end of the season, but that’s not uncommon for a rookie tackle.
It’s way too early to know if Fautanu will hold up on the right side, but with three more weeks of OTAs and mandatory minicamp ahead of training camp, the Steelers will likely have an idea heading to Latrobe whether Fautanu can start on the right side and open the door for Jones to move to the left. If that’s the case, Dan Moore Jr.’s roster spot could be in peril. He can’t really play on the right side, and having a swing tackle who can’t swing isn’t ideal and probably something the Steelers don’t want.
We’ll see how much work Jones and Fautanu get on either side over the coming months, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them both on the line in Week 1. We just have to find out where.
