Tag: troy fautanu

Does Mike Tomlin need to bench RT Broderick Jones again?

Broderick Jones’ penalty woes continued in Week 8, taking an opening-drive TD off the board. Does HC Mike Tomlin need to intervene again?

The more things change, the more they stay the same. While the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive unit appears much more dynamic under Russell Wilson’s leadership, issues on the offensive line continue to hold the offense back.

Specifically, several backup offensive linemen are stepping up in a big way for the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet 2023 first-round draft pick RT Broderick Jones is struggling, arguably making him the weakest link on offense. In 2024, Jones has had issues in all aspects of blocking, with penalties being his greatest weakness. 

On a key play during the Steelers’ Week 8 opening drive, Wilson rolled out to his right and connected with WR George Pickens for a touchdown, only to have it nullified by a face mask penalty from Jones. The penalty yardage proved too much to overcome, forcing the offense to settle for a field goal. 

Jones was benched earlier in the year by HC Mike Tomlin for similar issues, and the team may need to consider it again to prevent the offense’s momentum from stalling.

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NFL Network analyst breaks down Broderick Jones’ performance in Week 3

NFL analyst Brian Baldinger breaks down one key play from Broderick Jones’ bounceback performance in Week 3.

Broderick Jones has had an up-and-down start to the year, to say the least.  The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ right tackle struggled with pass protection in Week 1, allowing a pair of sacks against Atlanta’s defense.  His lack of discipline with penalties was on full display early into the Week 2 contest, resulting in his subsequent benching.  Just as fans were starting to lose hope in the 2023 first-round draft selection, he bounced back in a major way with a solid Week 3 performance.

Troy Fautanu suffered a severe knee injury during a Week 2 practice, which led to Jones re-entering the starting lineup.  It was his shot to silence the naysayers, and that’s exactly what he did.

Brian Baldinger, an NFL analyst known for his in-depth player breakdowns, highlighted Jones’ first play of the game against four-time Pro Bowler Joey Bosa:

Recording a pancake on one of the NFL’s best edge rushers is guaranteed to get eyes on a player.  Jones looked impressive in his return to starting duties and can continue to rebuild the trust of his team moving forward.

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Steelers elevate 2 from practice squad

The Steelers bring up two players to help after placing pair on IR this week.

Saturday was a busy day for the Pittsburgh Steelers. First the team placed starting offensive tackle Troy Fautanu on Injured/Reserve with a knee injury and now they have elevated two guys from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

According to the transaction wire, the Steelers have elevated cornerback James Pierre and offensive lineman John Leglue in place of him. Leglue is likely to get a helmet this week given the lack of depth the Steelers have along the offensive line.

Pierre could also see himself in uniform on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers to help on special teams coverage and return teams after Pittsburgh put linebacker Tyler Matakevich on IR.

https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/1837592492662829122

Leglue could find himself thrust into action as well as the only legitimate backup offensive tackle on the roster. Leglue started five games for the Steelers in 2021 but none of those were at guard.

Another option could be Spencer Anderson. Anderon is filling in at left guard but could move to tackle in a pinch.

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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 injury updates: Starting OT out indefinitely with knee injury

It sounds like Broderick Jones will be back in the starting lineup this week.

According to ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter, the Pittsburgh Steelers could be without the services of rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu for some time. The Steelers are taking on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Fautanu suffered a knee injury in Friday’s practice but there  was no word if it was the same knee he injured earlier in the offseason or if it was the other knee. We presume this is a re-injury but no official word from the team.

The Steelers listed Fautanu as questionable for Sunday’s game and according to offensive tackle Broderick Jones, Fautanu was getting an MRI.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1837484319477989382

Depending on what that MRI said, Fautanu could be downgraded on Saturday. If Fautanu can’t go, Broderick Jones will be back in the starting lineup. Jones was benched last week in favor of Fautanu after Jones had three penalties in one drive.

Meanwhile, the left tackle spot remains intact as Dan Moore Jr. holds off all comers with a strong first two games.

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Steelers injury update: Pittsburgh shuffles offensive tackles at Friday practice

Broderick Jones was back in the starting lineup on Friday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are just a few days away from their game with the Los Angeles and an injury popped up at practice that could provide one player an opportunity to earn his way back into the starting lineup.

According to offensive tackle Broderick Jones, he was back in the starting lineup at practice on Friday after rookie OT Troy Fautanu tweaked something and Jones assumed his previous role as first-team right tackle with Dan Moore Jr. remaining on the left side. We assume the tweak was to Fautanu’s knee that he injured earlier in the offseason.

Jones was benched last week versus the Denver Broncos after three penalties on a single drive cost the Steelers points.

https://twitter.com/bepryor/status/1837180972837503333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1837180972837503333%7Ctwgr%5E3ed395bb3e9488d262cc9218ca923d90021a3a7b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.steelernation.com%2F2024%2F09%2F20%2Fsteelers-broderick-jones-injury-offensive

Last season, Jones made her way into the starting lineup after Chuks Okorafor was benched and played well. This season has definitely been a step back in terms of development for Jones but this might be his opportunity to re-take the starting job.

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Steelers OL coach Pat Meyer might be a serious problem

Is Pat Meyer the problem or is it just the players?

Raise your hand if you miss Mike Munchak. The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line has been on a steady decline since the offensive line coach left the team despite heavy investments in the position in both free agency and the NFL draft.

The easy direction to lay blame is on offensive line coach Pat Meyer. Meyer joined the Steelers in 2022 and over the course of the last two seasons, the results haven’t been great.

Looking at this season, the best example of Meyer’s shortcomings is the regression of offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Jones was the team’s first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and he played well in the second half of his rookie year once he was inserted into the starting lineup.

But this season, Jones has struggled and definitely taken a step back. Is this Meyer’s fault or just Jones not putting in the work? On the other side of the coin we have offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr.

Moore has held off all comers for his job and continues to improve as a pass protector. If we are going to blame Meyer or the problems with Jones, don’t we also have to praise him for what Moore has done?

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Broderick Jones airs frustrations over penalties: ‘Defenders flop. Refs throw flags’

Broderick Jones got benched after three penalties on one drive on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated a big road win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday but not everyone was excited about it. Offensive tackle Broderick Jones had a rough day including one drive where he was flagged three times. This led to head coach Mike Tomlin benching Jones in favor of rookie Troy Fautanu.

Jones was clearly frustrated after the game and aimed at least some of his vitriol at the officials. “Defenders flop,” Jones said. “Refs throw flags. That’s the end of that.”

Jones was the Steelers first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and performed well last season when plugged into the starting lineup. But this season has been a different story.

The Steelers were supposed to have a starting tandem of Fautanu and Jones this season but there have been multiple bumps in the road thanks to injuries and poor play. This week the Steelers welcome the Los Angeles Chargers at home and it remains to be seen who will be the starting offensive tackles.

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Mike Tomlin offers perfect 3-word response to the benching of Broderick Jones

Broderick Jones was benched after three penalties in one drive against the Broncos.

The officials were busy in Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. The Steelers pulled off the win 13-6 but make no mistake, it was some ugly football.

Pittsburgh was penalized 10 times for 78 yards, with three of those going to offensive tackle Broderick Jones on a single drive. Even if we argue that the last holding calls was too soft to call, he was on the officials’ radar at that point.

The penalties were enough that head coach Mike Tomlin felt it necessary to bench Jones in favor of rookie Troy Fautanu and Jones did not return. Tomlin was asked about the penalties and the situation and Tomlin gave the most perfect and direct answer he could give. “You got it,” Tomlin fired back to end the presser.

It isn’t clear if Jones will be back in the lineup next week against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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