Without Troy Fautanu, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting lineup isn’t necessarily complete, head coach Mike Tomlin admitted. The rookie first-round pick was vying for a starting job before injuring his knee in the preseason. Even though they opened the year with Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones at tackle, Tomlin assured that the door is still very much open for the rookie, even if it is easier said than done in-season.
“It’s more difficult, but we have a commitment to continuing it because we liked what we saw from him during team development”, Tomlin said of the challenge of integrating Fautanu into the lineup and pushing for a starting job, via the Steelers’ website. “He’s deserving of that. His talents are deserving of that. We’ll balance that the best we can”.
Drafted 20th overall out of Washington, Troy Fautanu spent all offseason working at right tackle. He spent most of that time taking second-team reps but saw more first-team action into training camp. During the first quarter of the first preseason game, he sprained his MCL.
But Fautanu returned to practice in some form or fashion in the week leading up to the regular-season opener. A reporter asked Tomlin Tuesday if he was practicing now without restrictions; “I don’t know what that means, but he’s practicing”, he said.
The Steelers hoped to move Broderick Jones from right tackle to left tackle with Fautanu inserted on the right side. The timing of his injury prevented that to start the season, and since then, Jones has been stuck working there.
Both Moore and Jones did a commendable job in the opener, however, so there is no desperate rush for change. Even assuming Troy Fautanu claims a starting job in the coming weeks, there will be some growing pains.
The Steelers already have one rookie offensive lineman in the starting lineup in Zach Frazier. The second-round center was one of their best linemen in the opener, playing alongside Spencer Anderson in his first start. A second-year player, Anderson filled in for Isaac Seumalo at left guard. Though Fautanu dressed for the game, he did not play.
What would an in-season competition look like? Well, the Steelers managed it last year, replacing Chukwuma Okorafor with Jones. Reportedly, they were planning for Troy Fautanu to start the opener. The bigger obstacle may very well be adjusting Jones to the left side.
I imagine both Moore and Jones would have to play some phenomenal football to keep Fautanu on the bench the entire season. The Steelers think very highly of their rookie linemen and view them as foundation stones for the decade ahead. But they have to figure out what way is best for the team as a whole to integrate Fautanu into the lineup.
