Troy Fautanu put on a show in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week Two win over the Denver Broncos. The former first-round pick and Washington Huskies star was dominant, not allowing a single pressure on 29 pass-blocking reps and losing just one of his 26 run-blocking snaps.
It appeared coach Mike Tomlin had found his starting left tackle moving forward after 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones struggled at the position while splitting time with Fautanu. According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Fautanu will now be sidelined for an indefinite period after suffering a knee injury in Pittsburgh’s Friday practice.
“We really don’t know what his status is going to be,” Jones said. “I filled in for him and then just going to roll from there after he gets his MRI and stuff, and we’ll just figure out what’s going on from there.”
Before the draft, there were reportedly some injury concerns about Fautanu, who also suffered a sprained MCL in Pittsburgh’s first preseason game, which may have caused him to fall to No. 20 overall, where the Steelers decided to take a chance on his immense talent.
Tomlin will be hoping that the injury isn’t major and that the Steelers won’t need to place him on injured reserve.
Sources: Steelers starting rookie right tackle Troy Fautanu injured his knee during Friday’s practice and, while he still is undergoing further evaluation, he now is expected to be sidelined indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/5fqRA5xreT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 21, 2024