Will Troy Fautanu miss time after suffering a knee injury in the Steelers’ preseason opener?
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie first-round pick Troy Fautanu made his NFL debut on the team’s second possession of the game. He checked in at right tackle, logging 25 snaps in total, but he struggled. In fact, he gave up a sack to end his first series, Danielle Hunter getting the better of him.
But more concerning is the fact that he ended the game with a knee injury of some kind. It doesn’t appear to be overly serious, with head coach Mike Tomlin not even aware of it in-game, apparently. He noted in his post-game press conference that he saw Fautanu in the training camp after the game, however.
While Fautanu’s injury shouldn’t present any major concerns, it can impact his timeline to advance to a starting position. He has made progress during training camp, but he can’t afford to miss a preseason game. If he is going to earn the coaches’ trust by September, he needs to make a strong push now.
And if we’re going on his preseason debut, Troy Fautanu didn’t necessarily look ready for primetime. He made some good plays, sure, including one block out in space for Najee Harris. But he lost some key reps in pass protection, which hindered the offense.
Now, we can’t overanalyze a player’s first-ever preseason snaps, because you can’t safely predict in which direction things will go. Just because Fautanu lost some reps—to one of the great pass-rushers in the NFL, without game-planning for him—doesn’t mean that he has any kind of concerning issue.
But missing valuable time in August will certainly get in the way of his ability to play in September. Fautanu doesn’t have a starting job waiting for him. He has to earn that job, and until he does, he will watch from the sidelines. The Steelers are comfortable with Broderick Jones and Dan Moore Jr. while they wait for Fautanu. If they have to wait for him to overcome a minor knee injury and get back on the moving train, they will, obviously. But the delay will make it take that much longer for him to reach his destination at starting right tackle.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The Steelers are in training camp and the preseason and the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
