The Pittsburgh Steelers saw Troy Fautanu as a top talent, which is why they drafted him in the first round. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they see him as a surefire opening-day starter. After all, they traded up to draft Broderick Jones last year, and it took him some time to start. Expect them to practice patience with the latest rookie as well, Ray Fittipaldo says.
“They will get to see Fautanu against quality competition enough in camp to make that determination. There are plenty of reps to go around. It’s not just the team periods”, he said last week via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It’s pass pro drills against the DL. It’s development in individual periods and in the classroom. Believe me, they’ll take their time and won’t rush the situation. They never do”.
The Steelers drafted Troy Fautanu 20th overall out of Washington as one of the class’ best left tackles. The only thing is, they moved him to right tackle, where he hasn’t played since high school. Broderick Jones is their new left tackle—or at least, that is their plan.
That plan may rely upon the contingency of Fautanu showing the requisite aptitude to play right tackle. If he is not ready for that job by the season opener, the Steelers could leave Jones on the right side and start Dan Moore Jr. on the left. Moore is a three-year starter there, so it’s nothing new for him.
Others have suggested that the left tackle is Jones’ job now, and this results in Fautanu battling Moore for right tackle. Yet Moore has repeatedly pled his case that he simply isn’t as good on the right side. I don’t know if he is just being excessively honest, lacking in confidence, or trying to play games.
Either way, the bottom line is that Fautanu needs to prove he is ready to be a starter at right tackle, and Fittipaldo maintains that the Steelers are not going to accelerate the timeline. If he shows them that he is ready, he will start. If he looks like he still needs work, he will begin his career on the bench.
You only need to look back to last season when Broderick Jones spent much of the first half watching from the sidelines. He couldn’t beat out Moore for the left tackle job but later took over at right tackle.
The difference between Jones and Fautanu is that Fautanu comes into the NFL with a lot more playing experience. The latter is a seasoned veteran in college terms. Jones was a glorified sophomore in comparison, with roughly a year’s worth of playing time.
Well, that is one difference, the other being the position switch. But if Jones managed to make the shift from left to right tackle in-season, Fautanu should manage it in camp. The Steelers will closely monitor every single rep he takes in every context, though. They want him on the field—they just want him to prove he deserves to be there before he is.
