Though losing rookie first-round pick OT Troy Fautanu to a knee injury wasn’t an ideal way to start his NFL career, the good news is it shouldn’t impact his regular season availability. Appearing on 102.5 DVE before Saturday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, the PPG’s Gerry Dulac indicated that Fautanu would be medically cleared when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.
“He’s gonna not play next week, of course,” Dulac said of Fautanu on the Steelers’ pregame show. “But there’s two weeks after that and his injury was an MCL sprain. He should be ready to go by Atlanta, September 8th in the opener. And so I expect him to be there as the starting right tackle.”
Fautanu was injured at some point during the first half of his Steelers debut last Friday against the Houston Texans, playing hurt until reporting the injury to trainers at halftime. Mike Tomlin has had an optimistic tone to the injury, calling it a sprain and not a long-term concern. That tracks with reporting on the injury, indicating he was week-to-week.
Despite missing valuable reps this summer, Dulac’s reporting has indicated that Troy Fautanu will still start Week 1. That will shift Broderick Jones over to left tackle and despite Dulac being told Jones would “battle” Dan Moore Jr., it’s reasonable to assume Jones will be protecting Russell Wilson’s blindside with Moore on the bench. In the event Fautanu was injured mid-game, Jones would likely shift back over to right tackle while Moore would step in on the left side.
If Fautanu gets the start, he’ll immediately be tested. He’ll see plenty of new Falcons DE/EDGE Matthew Judon, acquired in a trade from the New England Patriots earlier this week. A four-time Pro Bowler, Judon got off to a hot start last season, four sacks in four games, before suffering a season-ending torn bicep. In 2021 and 2022, Judon recorded double-digit sacks. Fautanu struggled in pass protection in his Steelers debut, allowing a sack and a pressure that contributed to another, so his play will have to be improved along with his health out of the gate.
