After missing most of his rookie season with a pair of knee injuries, second-year pro Troy Fautanu is being counted on to step into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ right tackle position and lock it down.
The general belief is that Fautanu is the Steelers’ best offensive lineman and will be a very good pro. But for the Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko, there’s a good deal of pressure on the second-year lineman to hit the ground running and perform up to expectations.
“There’s a modicum of pressure on Troy Fautanu because he’s another player like Roman Wilson who, as a rookie, training camp got off to a rough start with him because of some injury stuff,” Batko said, according to video via the North Shore Drive podcast. “And last year it was different. He was the lower man on the totem pole and had to kind of climb the ladder and pay his dues with Dan Moore still in the picture. That’s not the case anymore. He is gonna get slotted right into that role.
“So yeah, I they’ll wanna see some good things from him as he resets from what was a pretty major, major deal there to end his season.”
Things started off pretty well for Fautanu last season as a rookie. He put together some solid stretches in training camp and appeared set to pass Broderick Jones as the Steelers’ starting right tackle. He was dominant in his preseason debut against the Houston Texans, too, but then was lost for a few weeks with a knee injury.
Once he returned in Week 2 of the season against the Denver Broncos, Fautanu had another good showing. But then in the week leading up to Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Fautanu injured his knee again and was lost for the season. That forced Broderick Jones back into the lineup at right tackle for the rest of the season.
Now, with Dan Moore Jr. off to Tennessee, Jones is flipping back over to left tackle, opening the path for Fautanu at right tackle. He’s drawn rave reviews this offseason for how he’s looked in workouts. But in training camp he really needs to hit the ground running and perform to solidify his role and push back on some of those concerns about him entering Year 2.
There’s some pressure there for the inexperienced Fautanu to be the player Pittsburgh expects. Hopefully he’s able to perform right away and live up to expectations.
