Since becoming general manager, Omar Khan has had one clear mission. Upgrade the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line. On paper, they look better now than they did when Khan took over in May of 2022. But Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier are still rookies and their performances this year, assuming they play, are unknowns. It makes them the Steelers’ X factors in a Tuesday ESPN deep dive into each roster.
“Rookie offensive linemen, even first-round rookie offensive linemen like Fautanu, are typically below average in their first season,” wrote ESPN’s Seth Walder on the team’s X Factors. “So while both Fautanu and Frazier (a second-round pick) offer upside given their draft pedigree, odds are they will represent weak points [on] the offensive line.”
Walder is an analytics guy for ESPN and perhaps he’s referring to a specific set of data asserting linemen are typically “below average” out of the gate. But it could still be viewed as overall upgrades for a Steelers line that’s been a weakness for several years. Older with more college starts and technically refined, Fautanu is more Day 1 ready than last year’s first rounder Broderick Jones. Flipping from left to right tackle will be a challenge but talent-wise, the Steelers’ line will be better with him in the lineup.
The same goes for Frazier. Though he’ll likely take his rookie lumps, his play should exceed what Mason Cole offered as he regressed in 2023. And he’ll certainly be better than the team’s last rookie center, the Steelers thrusting an unready Kendrick Green into the lineup in 2021.
The fact the rookies are “weak points” speaks to how the line has improved overall. Adding steady veteran guards in Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels. Drafting a promising player in Broderick Jones. It’s a far cry from the weak players of o-line’s past when the team sent out rookies in Dan Moore Jr., Green, and veteran castoff Trai Turner all at once.
Calling Fautanu and Frazier weak points seems a little harsh. But to his point, the Steelers are counting on their front five to play great football this year. That will support the run game and protect Russell Wilson. If the line can’t improve, this offense won’t make much progress and the team’s final outcome is unlikely to change. That does make their offensive line the Steelers’ X factors of the season.
