Pittsburgh Steelers rookie T Troy Fautanu saw some impromptu snaps with the first-team offense yesterday. The first-round pick reportedly impressed while filling in for Broderick Jones, taking a step toward starting in the season opener. While it was a mere cameo, he showed that an accelerated timeline for starting is realistic for him.
Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was “very impressed” with Fautanu, for example. “Troy Fautanu comes in, Justin Fields throws a touchdown pass, but Fautanu really stymied T.J. Watt at the line of scrimmage. I focused on Fautanu throughout practice today. His pass protection, his technique is really, really good”.
Notably, Fittipaldo would not predict that Fautanu would start the season opener, though he has in the past. He continues to maintain that the Steelers may lean toward caution, starting Dan Moore Jr. and Jones. Jones was a rookie first-round pick last year and it took him nearly half the season to crack the lineup.
The Steelers selected Troy Fautanu 20th overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Washington. He started 31 games over the past three seasons, including all 15 last year, winning the Morris Trophy. Compared to Jones coming out of college, he is a polished veteran.
In light of the fact that they used their top two picks on the offensive line, the Steelers are obviously making that unit a priority. And they didn’t draft Fautanu and C Zach Frazier to sit and wait and learn. They may have to wait for a bit, but they want them playing as soon as they feel they’re ready.
In neither case for Fautanu nor Frazier do the Steelers have another long-term possible starting option. Dan Moore Jr. will likely leave next year, and possibly iOL Nate Herbig as well. Pittsburgh fully expects its top two rookies to be starting by then.
And based on yesterday’s practice, it could be a lot sooner. That was the first look the Steelers got with Troy Fautanu getting significant work with the starters. With the pads coming on tomorrow, one would hope that we see an increase in his first-team work.
Fittipaldo praised Fautanu’s fundamentals, claiming that he is nearly perfect. The Post-Gazette reporter is a former lineman himself, for what it’s worth, so he knows a little something or other about the craft. And that is the reason that he believes the rookie will be starting sooner rather than later.
