Will Troy Fautanu crack the Steelers’ starting lineup this week?
For the first time in his Steelers career, Troy Fautanu took all the first-team reps yesterday in practice. He also took second-team reps, angling to make up for lost time. Meanwhile, Broderick Jones played at left tackle while Dan Moore Jr. watched.
This is what Steelers fans have wanted since the 2024 NFL Draft, and I’m sure it’s what we’ll see soon. But that doesn’t mean this week. First off, Moore is only watching from the sidelines because he’s dealing with a minor injury. For all we know, he could be back practicing today with Fautanu taking only second-team reps.
Even Fautanu admitted while speaking to reporters yesterday that he didn’t know if he would be taking first-team snaps for the rest of the week. Nominally, Moore is still the starting left tackle, and he did nothing to lose his job last week. Neither did Broderick Jones at right tackle, and thus the conundrum.
According to at least one beat writer, the Steelers planned for Troy Fautanu to start right away. When he injured his MCL, they had to pivot, leaving Jones on the right side. Now that Fautanu is healthy, they can restart that conversation.
Head coach Mike Tomlin made it very clear on Tuesday that the rookie is competing to start right now. He even went so far as to say that Fautanu is “deserving” of that based on what he showed beforehand. Basically, it sounds like he views Fautanu as a starter who just needs to catch back up first.
Troy Fautanu missed three weeks of on-field work due to his injury, and even last week was only ramping up. He said that he is practicing fully and extensively this week and believes he is ready. In fact, Fautanu said he was hoping the Steelers would put him in last week’s game—he did dress, after all. So he technically made his debut as an active player, but he is looking for his first snap. Will that come this week—and will he take all of the snaps that follow as well?
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.
