Steelers 24-Year-Old Draft Pick ‘Already Looks Like a Veteran’ at Camp

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense has not been great to start training camp, but one bright spot has been second-year first-round pick and starting right tackle Troy Fautanu.

According to veteran Steelers beat reporter Mark Kaboly, as of August 3, the 24-year-old Fautanu “already looks like a veteran despite playing only 55 snaps last year.”

That’s great news, considering the development of both Fautanu and left tackle Broderick Jones will be paramount for Pittsburgh’s chances in 2025. Starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers has displayed decent mobility so far, but he’s still a 41-year-old quarterback who recently tore his Achilles because he couldn’t get away from a pass rusher who beat his left tackle around the edge for a sack.

Fautanu and Jones have to make sure history does not repeat itself as they attempt to keep the future Hall of Fame QB on the field for the entire season.

Steelers Reiterate That Troy Fautanu & Broderick Jones Are Sticking at Current Positions

Being that the left tackle position guards Rodgers’ blindside as a right-handed signal-caller, some have questioned why the Steelers don’t just switch Fautanu over to the LT position.

It’s a fair question, but for now, the Steelers have remained rigid in developing Fautanu at right tackle and Jones on the left-hand side. Kaboly reiterated that on August 3.

“Regardless of how Jones has looked, he’s not moving off of left tackle anytime soon and likely never,” the beat writer noted. “They need him to play well, and sooner rather than later would be preferred.”

Jones has had mixed results throughout the early days of padded training camp practices after sitting out a few days with a “lower-body soft-tissue injury.”

On August 1, Penn Live beat writer Nick Farabaugh relayed: “Alex Highsmith dominates Broderick Jones on three straight reps. Dusted on consecutive ghost moves and then wins on the third rep with a spin move.”

However, on August 3, Steelers Depot writer Alex Kozora noted that Jones put together “quality reps against Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig” during OL-DL one-on-ones.

Pittsburgh needs Jones to keep stacking days and practices more similar to August 3 than August 1. If he’s able to do that, the Steelers should be in much better shape come Week 1.

Steelers’ Rushing Attack Continues to Be an Issue at Training Camp

Pass protection gets the majority of the focus when it comes to offensive linemen, but they’re also responsible for providing the push in the run game. Strangely, that’s been this unit’s biggest issue to start camp.

The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo once again reiterated that there has been “no room to run” on offense while discussing top concerns on August 4.

“The most optimistic Steelers fan might tell you that Rodgers isn’t in his prime, but the team doesn’t need him to be with a tenacious defense and consistent running game supporting him,” DeFabo acknowledged. Adding: “That argument falls apart if the Steelers can’t run the ball effectively.”

“Only six teams averaged fewer yards per carry than the Steelers (4.1) last season,” he went on. “Even after the Steelers invested heavily into their offensive line, they still aren’t the kind of team that can line up and bully an opponent at the line of scrimmage, as the goal-line period [on August 3] showed.”

Considering this is supposed to be offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s bread and butter, this is an area that must improve over the next month of football — and that includes Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones.