Steelers Tackle Troy Fautanu Injured, Status for Start in Doubt

PITTSBURGH — Just days before his second career start, Pittsburgh Steelers first-round tackle Troy Fautanu faced an injury during Friday’s practice, raising doubts about his availability for the upcoming home opener against the L.A. Chargers.

Fautanu, who had previously sprained his left MCL in the first preseason game, exited practice after experiencing what fellow tackle Broderick Jones referred to as “a little tweak.” Given Fautanu’s sudden departure, Jones took on the responsibility of stepping in and worked with the first team offensive line at right tackle, just days after he had been benched during the team’s win over the Denver Broncos.

“We really don’t know what his status is going to be,” Jones commented regarding Fautanu’s condition. “I filled in for him, and we’re just going to roll from there after he gets his MRI and stuff, and we’ll figure out what’s going on from there.”

Jones expressed uncertainty about the nature of Fautanu’s injury. “The coach is going to make the decision at the end of the day. We’ve got two days; he has a day and a half to rest, whatever it is,” he added. “I really don’t even know what happened to him. I haven’t seen him yet, so we’ll figure it out and go from there.”

Making his first career start in Denver, Fautanu found himself in the spotlight, even though coach Mike Tomlin had initially planned to rotate tackles. Jones’ performance fell short, as he committed three penalties in a span of just six plays, leading to Fautanu taking over for the remainder of the game.

“I played bad,” Jones admitted this week regarding his performance in Week 2. “That’s all that matters at the end of the day. You f— up, you get pulled.”

He added, “I’ve just got to be better, continue to grow as a player and as a man, and take the good with the bad.” Coach Tomlin backed Jones during his Tuesday news conference, emphasizing that Jones would have “an opportunity to rebound” in the coming week.

“He’s a talented young player,” Tomlin remarked. “I’m sure he felt some disappointment when Troy started. That’s a natural reaction, but he needs to move past it. I need to provide him with the opportunity to grow as a leader.”

To address the issue of in-game penalties, the Steelers implemented a training session with officials present every day this week, whereas they typically only have officials attend Friday practices.

“It gives us feedback on the things we can work on, or the things they may see that might hinder us from executing during the game, so it’s beneficial,” Jones explained.

Despite the setbacks, Jones expressed confidence in his ability to improve if given another chance. He noted that he is focused on not letting past mistakes weigh him down.

“I feel like I got better this week during practice for the most part,” Jones stated. “I just have to continue to stay upright because it’s a long season, and I’m always trying to take care of my body as much as possible.”