Steelers' Troy Fautanu Now "Working Super Hard To Get Back"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have put together a young, but talented offensive line group over the past few years. This was good news for fans who had been watching whichever quarterback was on the field struggle to get a pass off or stay upright. They drafted two offensive tackles in the past two seasons with their first-round picks, Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu. They also added center Zach Frazier and guards Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick. 

Fautanu showed a lot of promise during training camp. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury in the first preseason game of the season. He was able to come back and made his regular season debut in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, but suffered another knee injury in practice shortly after. This time, he dislocated his kneecap and tore some ligaments; the injury required surgical repair. He is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, but could possibly return if the Steelers make the postseason. 

This was a huge blow to the Steelers' offensive line, especially considering Jones has been struggling this season. McCormick said he is confident that Fautanu will return and be even better than before. He recently joined Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz on his show, The Christian Kuntz Podcast, and talked about how great it is playing on this young offensive line. He said they are all growing and learning together, and can't wait until Fautanu returns. 

"Troy's coming back next year," said McCormick. "He's working super hard to get back and he's going to be a phenomenal player come next year. He's doing a really good job."

Fautanu played for Washington and had his breakout season in 2022. After a big game against Michigan State, he was named the Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week. He also won the Morris Trophy, which recognizes the top offensive lineman in the Pac-12. In his pre-draft analysis, he was praised for being a "brawler" with a ton of raw talent. He was widely considered the third-best tackle in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Steelers were lucky that he fell to them. 

The Steelers have always built their offenses around a strong run game, and this season was no exception. They brought in two new quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, and planned to run Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren quite a bit. Fautanu was expected to bolster that run game, but not having him has been a blow. They hope he will return to help the Steelers succeed in the postseason.

Steelers' Mike Tomlin Is Hands Off With This Offense

The Steelers didn't just struggle with offensive line issues over the past several years; their former offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, took a lot of heat for his questionable play-calling. He was often accused of failing to design plays that took into account the weaknesses of the line and the inconsistencies they had at quarterback. 

During that time, in particular, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was accused of being too involved in offensive decisions. This frustrated fans because Tomlin is considered a defensive-minded coach, not an offensive one. However, now with new Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith, Tomlin has supposedly backed off and is allowing the former Atlanta Falcons head coach to call all the shots. 

Tomlin always reminds the media that he is "paid the big bucks" to handle the difficult decisions. Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show believes that Tomlin has full faith in his new offensive staff and is allowing Smith to call all of the plays. 

How do you think Fautanu will perform once he is able to return? Click to comment below. 

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