Steelers HC Mike Tomlin Challenges Draft Pick to ‘Rebound’ in Week 3

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin sent a message to 2023 first-round offensive tackle Broderick Jones during his September 17 press conference.

“We got a week of preparation. I’d be disrespectful to Wednesday, Thursday and Friday if I had a hardcore plan in mind about how I was going to roll those guys,” Tomlin said on Tuesday ahead of Week 3. “I’m going to give Broderick an opportunity to rebound.”

“He’s a talented young player,” the Steelers HC went on. “I’m sure he suffered some disappointment in terms of [2024 first rounder] Troy [Fautanu] starting — it’s a natural thing. But he’s got to move past it, and I’ve got to give him the opportunity to move past it as a leader.”

Tomlin noted that the Steelers will let the “quality of participation” be their guide as they decide how they will deploy Fautanu and Jones against the Los Angeles Chargers.

“It’s a new week,” he concluded, leaving the door open for Jones to step up and win back some sort of role.

Steelers Rookie Troy Fautanu Took Over as Starting Right Tackle vs. Broncos

Facing the Denver Broncos in Week 2, Tomlin started out with Fautanu at right tackle. But as he explained on September 17, the plan was always to use both first-round talents throughout the game.

“I had intentions of utilizing both guys,” Tomlin admitted this week. “I acknowledge that [Fautanu] was healthy, I acknowledge that [Fautanu] was capable. That’s why we started him. But I rolled him because I had concerns about his level of conditioning.”

“He’s a young guy, he’s new to me, he’s new to the NFL,” the veteran coach continued. “I didn’t know how fatigue would affect his play in terms of detail, and so we tried to ward off some of that.”

Tomlin voiced that he had “every intention” of spelling Fautanu with Jones throughout the game, but added that the latter’s propensity for penalties forced him to go back to the rookie.

“When Broderick started getting highly penalized in play, I backed off of him, I held my breath, and I played Troy,” Tomlin said.

According to Pro Football Focus, Fautanu was on the field for 55 out of the 66 offensive snaps in Week 2. In his 11 snaps, Jones was flagged three times while Fautanu wasn’t flagged at all.

It was a solid debut for Fautanu in Denver. Over his 55 snaps, the rookie was especially good in pass protection.

Per PFF, he was charged with just two quarterback pressures and zero sacks. That performance yielded a pass-blocking efficiency score of 95.7, which was better than veteran guard James Daniels and fill-in guard Spencer Anderson.

As a run blocker, Fautanu was not as strong according to PFF’s analytical team, but he wasn’t terrible either. They awarded him with a 59.3 grade in that regard.

By comparison, Jones did not allow a QB pressure and earned a 60.8 grade as a run blocker. Having said that, three penalties in 11 snaps is absolutely unacceptable, as Tomlin noted.

Jones will likely operate as the swing tackle behind Fautanu and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. until he’s able to clean up his game. But on the bright side, that gives the Steelers three capable offensive tackles that can start if need be.