The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of training camp, and they’re experiencing the good and bad aspects of that process. The process includes injuries, and most notably, the Steelers have several offensive tackles who are banged up. That includes Broderick Jones, who seems to be getting closer to full health. Calvin Anderson’s injury could keep him sidelined longer.
As a result of those injuries, Mike Tomlin was asked if he’d consider moving Troy Fautanu to left tackle.
“No, he doesn’t have enough experience to do that,” Tomlin said Saturday via the team’s website. “If you watch today, we gave Spencer Anderson some work out there. He’s more experienced and versatile. Others would be called upon probably before Troy will.”
Tomlin’s answer is slightly confusing. It’s true that Fautanu hasn’t worked much at left tackle in his young NFL career. Last year, in his limited reps, he played right tackle, and that’s where the Steelers are playing him this year. However, in college, he played mostly left tackle.
While Tomlin could simply be referring to Fautanu’s lack of NFL experience on the left side, it’s not like he’s got a ton of time put in at the right side, either. He missed most of his rookie season due to an injury.
However, it’s also likely that the Steelers learned their lesson from moving Jones around. Drafted in the first round in 2023, the Steelers had big expectations for Jones as their franchise tackle, and he hasn’t lived up to that billing. Part of that might be because the Steelers juggled his position, flipping him back and forth between left and right tackle.
That seemed to hurt Jones’ development. It didn’t allow him to settle in at one spot when he entered the league. Rather than repeat that process, the Steelers are opting to keep Fautanu at right tackle.
Either way, the Steelers’ tackle depth is getting thin. Jones’ injury doesn’t seem to be major, but he’s struggled throughout camp. A few weeks ago, Anderson spoke about how he’s put his days at tackle behind him. He’s transitioned over to being a guard.
Anderson is a veteran, but it’s unclear how much time he’s going to miss. That leaves the Steelers turning to Dylan Cook as the only other tackle currently on their roster with any NFL experience. Even then, he’s only been in the league since 2022, and he hasn’t proven much.
The Steelers want to be Super Bowl contenders, but their depth at offensive tackle could be their Achilles heel. If they suffer more injuries, or if Jones’ struggles continue, their offense could be in trouble.
