Who sits when Troy Fautanu cracks the starting lineup: Dan Moore Jr. or Broderick Jones?
Although it’s looking like rookie T Troy Fautanu will dress for the season opener, he isn’t likely to start. Basically all offseason, Dan Moore Jr. has been the left tackle and Broderick Jones the right tackle. Even if they had good intentions of going into the season with a different combination, it doesn’t sound realistic.
But it could be in a very short time, once the Steelers are comfortable starting Fautanu. The question then becomes what do you do at left tackle? Do you leave Moore there starting or do you move Jones to the other side? If the latter, then you have another obstacle — preparing him to transition to the left.
The Steelers may feel Jones is so naturally talented that he can easily flow from right to left, but I don’t buy it. He will need at least some transition time after playing right tackle for the better part of a year now. And if you have to wait for him to move over, then you have to wait to play Fautanu — or do you?
The Steelers could put Jones on the bench, replace him with Fautanu, and leave Moore at left for now. Then they could begin that transition for Jones and allow him to replace Moore when he is ready. That way, they can play Fautanu sooner rather than later while not rushing Jones’ transition.
But we can’t also just assume that Troy Fautanu will start as soon as he is ready. If Moore and Jones are playing reasonably well, the Steelers aren’t going to necessarily tinker with the line. Sure, they bounced Chukwuma Okorafor for Jones last year, but the line needed a spark, too.
Everybody wants to see the Steelers’ offensive line that they drew up this offseason, and that includes Broderick Jones at left tackle and Troy Fautanu at right tackle. That may happen sooner rather than later, even if it is not this week. But when will we get there, and in how many steps? Will Fautanu start at right tackle before Jones moves to the left side? Will Fautanu have to wait, and if so, for how long?
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 regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers 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.
