Category: Troy Fautanu

Steelers’ rookie Troy Fautanu to have surgery, could return in playoffs

Troy Fautanu is out for the regular season after having surgery to fix a dislocated kneecap, but can actually return in the postseason.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will need to continue to have a ‘next man up’ mentality, regarding Troy Fauntanu’s knee injury, if they want to stay competitive in AFC number one seed race.  Broderick Jones filled in nicely for Fautanu, and it now looks like he will have to do so the entirety of the regular season.  Fautanu suffered a dislocated kneecap at Steelers practice last Friday, and he was initially reported as OUT indefinitely.

Pittsburgh had recently made a move to alleviate some of this pain by signing offensive tackle Calvin Anderson.  However, it has now been reported by Ian Rapoport that Fautanu could return for the Steelers, but only in the postseason.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1838044965982683233

Similar to Alex Highsmith’s groin injury, the Steelers will need to place safety, health, and longevity at the forefront of their concerns for Fautanu.  Broderick Jones will look to hold down the fort at the right tackle position, helping his team reach the playoffs, in which Fautanu’s redemption story will be waiting.

Steelers adding Troy Fautanu (knee) to IR

Troy Fautanu is reportedly being placed on IR by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As reported by ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter on Friday, offensive tackle Troy Fautanu suffered a knee injury and was considered out indefinitely.  It is now being reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be placing the rookie right tackle on Injured/Reserve. The Steelers are preparing to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the home opener.

This injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the rookie, who had made his regular season debut in Week 2 and looked phenomenal.

Will the Steelers have a ‘next man up’ mentality, keeping the right tackle position battle at in-house?  Or will they look to sign a proven veteran, such as former 2015 first-round pick D.J. Humphries?

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1837586952704418048

 

Only time will tell how Mike Tomlin and his staff handle the devastating news and hole that is left by Fautanu’s injury.  Here’s to a speedy recovery for the 2024 first-round pick. In his place, Broderick Jones will start opposite Dan Moore Jr.

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Steelers injury update: Troy Fautanu OUT in Week 3

Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie right tackle will miss Week 3 against the Chargers with injury, and Broderick Jones will most likely step up in his place.

It had been previously reported by ESPN reporter Adam Schefter that Troy Fautanu had suffered a knee injury and could be out indefinitely.  He was scheduled to undergo further evaluation, but we now have confirmation that he will miss Week 3.

https://twitter.com/RichieWalsh/status/1837512020918149598

This is a frustrating setback for the health of the Pittsburgh Steelers roster as a whole, which were set to welcome a few reliable starters back from injury in the coming weeks.

Broderick Jones will more than likely be his replacement for the foreseeable future.  Mike Tomlin had confirmed that his benching in Week 2 was due to consistent penalties, and it will be interesting to see if these issues have been ironed out

While the Steelers will be without rookie Troy Fautanu when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3, the standard of victory hasn’t changed.  The team has an opportunity to win this for their injured brethren, and will look to do so on September 22nd at 1:00 EST PM.

 

Steelers rookie must ‘make strides’ to earn starting gig

First-round draft picks typically are Week 1 starters, but that isn’t necessarily a given for Steelers rookie Troy Fautanu. 

First-round draft picks typically are Week 1 starters, especially in the trenches. But that isn’t a given for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie tackle Troy Fautanu.

Experience could trump talent in Fautanu’s offseason competition with fourth-year veteran Dan Moore Jr.

The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly named Fauanu among the “losers” of Pittsburgh’s offseason to date:

This certainly doesn’t mean Fautanu will be a bust or never be a star. But he makes the list because Moore is ahead of him on the depth chart, which is not his fault but the reality of the situation. Sure, that can change quickly in Latrobe, but the limited amount of time Fautanu has to get acclimated to the NFL — coupled with how the organization approached the Broderick Jones/Moore battle last year — makes you wonder. Fautanu is smart and talented, and that comes through immediately, but he must make strides to win a starting job.

A story to watch is at what spot will the Steelers stick Broderick Jones for reps to start training camp next month? Both he and Moore perform better on the left. Jones got the call when an MCL injury sidelined Moore for 1.5 games.

Moore got his starting job back in Week 7 with Jones reverting to the bench, only to take over at right tackle after Chuks Okorafor’s verbal slip got him benched. Though Jones did improve as the season went on, playing on his unnatural side threw a slight learning curve where he shined in Moore’s brief absence.

Jones is now one year older and one year wiser in the NFL system. Should the initial official depth chart have Jones on the right and Moore on the left, Fautanu may have to wait patiently for his time to come.

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Steelers rookie tackle Troy Fautanu earns positive reviews

Steelers OL coach Pat Meyer on his offseason observations of rookie tackle Troy Fautanu.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in their second of seven weeks of break before returning for the dog days of training camp.

After the Steelers broke from organized team activities (OTAs), offensive line coach Pat Meyer spoke about the progression of first-round rookie tackle Troy Fautanu.

“The first couple days, his timing was off because the speed of the game is different — now we don’t have any pads on yet, so nothing’s going to be determined until we get into camp — but his timing’s much better in terms of his get-off and run game and his sets and throwing his hands and being aggressive with his hands and whatnot,” Meyer told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “He’s improved tremendously from rookie minicamp to now.”

Fautanu’s collegiate experience at Washington includes all of two snaps at right tackle (and 100 snaps at left guard), but that’s where he expects to compete when the team starts camp on July 25.

Historically, barring injury to a veteran, Mike Tomlin has delayed starting top rookies until their second season. Going forward, things could be different in Pittsburgh, but camp will offer a clearer picture of their plans.

In a perfect world, Fautanu would show enough chops for Tomlin to feel confident about starting him on the right side out of the gate, Dan Moore Jr. would be relegated to backup, and second-year tackle Broderick Jones would return to his natural spot on the left side.

That’s what Steelers fans want to see.

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Steelers OT Troy Fautanu describes feelings of falling in NFL draft

The Steelers landed Troy Fautanu with the No. 20 overall pick.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected offensive tackle Troy Foutanu with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Most pundits graded this pick out really high and on most big boards, Fautanu was ranked somewhere between 10-20 among all players and was a top-four offensive lineman. Fautanu was the sixth offensive tackle off the board.

As excited as Fautanu was to land with the Steelers, he was still some hard feeling about falling to the No. 20 overall pick. He talked about it after the draft.

You know I wouldn’t say I take it personally, but I’m rooting for those guys because I met a lot of those guys along this process and they’re all really great guys. But you know, the competitor in me I guess does take it personally. You know what I mean. I’m just ready to kind of pour everything into this organization and get ready to work.

Prospects need to understand there are far worse things than being selected in the second half of the first round. You typically are going to a more talented football team and while you might make a little less money, I have to think that winning games still counts for something.

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Steelers rookie tackle Troy Fautanu clears up health concerns

Troy Fautanu clears the air about the perception of his injury by the NFL.

Encapsulated in the pre-draft process every year are the medical reports on prospects. For Pittsburgh Steelers rookie tackle Troy Fautanu, news of an injury he sustained came to light publicly just a couple of days before the 2024 NFL draft.

“Washington OT Troy Fautanu’s knee was flagged,” Albert Breer wrote for Sports Illustrated on April 22. “That one was described to me as the sort of issue that shouldn’t be a problem in the short term, but could wind up impacting his longevity in the pros (though his high football character is a factor in making teams feel like he’ll do all he can to take care of it, and give himself the best chance).”

Fautanu put the concern to rest on a conference call with Pittsburgh media after the Steelers selection.

“I have no clue [why my knee was flagged],” Fautanu said. “That knee thing hasn’t bothered me in years. You play football and play offensive line. If you come out playing football for years and years and you don’t get injured, it’s you’re like a pony. I understand the physicality that I do play with, and you know, sometimes things are going to happen like that, but it doesn’t stop me from showing up to work every single day and playing the way that I do play.”

Fautanu isn’t sure of the specifics, but he believes injury concerns were leaked, causing his draft stock to slide. Expectations were that he’d be a top-15 pick.

“I honestly have no clue,” Fautanu said on Seattle’s KJR Softy & Dick show. “I talked to my agent and basically he was saying that a team later in the draft might’ve leaked it to try and get me to fall.”

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Steelers rookie OT Troy Fautanu reveals jersey number

Steelers rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu will wear No. 76.

Steelers rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu landed in Pittsburgh Friday morning and headed to the South Side for his introductory press conference. There he revealed he’ll be donning No. 76 in the Black and Gold.

Fautanu paid homage to his favorite player from his favorite team in Troy Polamalu, wearing No. 43 throughout his pre-college days until he switched from defensive to offensive line in high school. At Washington, Fautanu wore No. 55.

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WATCH: Highlights of new Steelers OT Troy Fautanu

These highlights from Troy Fautanu’s final season in Washington offer a glimpse of what Steelers fans can look forward to.

The months of relentless speculation about who the Pittsburgh Steelers would take with their first pick of the 2024 NFL draft are over. They needed a tackle and they certainly got one in brawler Troy Fautanu.

According to Pro Football Focus, Fautanu allowed just three sacks in his four seasons as a Washington Husky.

These highlights from Fautanu’s final season in Washington offer a glimpse of what Steelers fans can look forward to:

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Russell Wilson reacts to Steelers 2024 NFL draft selection, Troy Fautanu

Steelers QB Russell Wilson posted a welcome message for NFL draft pick Troy Fautanu on X.

Protection is one of the most critical pieces of an offense for any quarterback, let alone an aging quarterback. The Pittsburgh Steelers started the process of fortifying their trenches with the selection of tackle Troy Fautanu at No. 20.

And Russell Wilson couldn’t be happier. “Welcome to the Burgh!” he posted on X shortly after the pick.

Wilson has absorbed 100 sacks over the last two years. With 527 career sacks, Wilson is fourth behind Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers.

Per The 33rd Team, Fautanu allowed just three sacks on 1,332 pass-blocking snaps in three years at Washington.

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