Friday’s Pittsburgh Steelers practice brought good news and bad news ahead of the Week 3 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
According to ESPN beat reporter Brooke Pryor, first-round offensive tackle Troy Fautanu “sustained an injury” on September 20 that will officially put his Week 3 status in doubt.
“Fautanu, who sprained his left MCL in the first preseason game, left practice Friday after ‘a little tweak,’ fellow tackle Broderick Jones confirmed after practice,” Pryor wrote. “With Fautanu’s early exit, Jones, who the Steelers traded up to select in the first round of the 2023 draft, stepped in and practiced with the first team offensive line at right tackle just days after being benched during the win against the Denver Broncos.”
Fautanu made his NFL debut in Week 2 after missing the 2024 opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Per Pro Football Focus, he appeared in 55 out of the Steelers’ 66 offensive snaps and allowed just two quarterback pressures and zero sacks. More importantly, Fautanu was not penalized while Jones was flagged three times in limited action.
The Steelers listed Fautanu (knee) as “questionable” for Week 3.
As for the good news, third-round wide receiver Roman Wilson (ankle) appears set to make his Steelers debut on September 22 after missing the entire preseason, as well as the first two weeks of the regular season.
The Steelers did not provide an injury designation for Wilson after a full practice on Thursday and Friday. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero also confirmed that the rookie wide receiver is “off the injury report” on September 20.
Broderick Jones Could Be Called Upon to Start After Week 3 Challenge From Steelers HC Mike Tomlin
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin challenged Jones to “rebound” earlier in the week on Tuesday, September 17.
“I’m going to give Broderick an opportunity to rebound,” he told reporters. “He’s a talented young player. I’m sure he suffered some disappointment in terms of [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.”
The Steelers HC proceeded to conclude that “it’s a new week” for Jones to start fresh and clean up his game. Now the second-year prospect could be called upon to start.
“We really don’t know what his status is going to be,” Jones told Pryor on Friday, regarding Fautanu. “I filled in for him and then just going to roll from there after he gets his MRI and stuff, and we’ll just figure out what’s going on from there.”
Jones added that Tomlin will make the final decision on the right tackle position on Sunday. He also acknowledged that he played poorly in Week 2.
“I played bad,” Jones said. “That’s all that matters at the end of the day. You [expletive] up, you get pulled… I’ve just got to be better. Continue to grow as a player, as a man and take the good with the bad.”
Roman Wilson Expands Steelers’ Passing Attack in Week 3
It goes without saying that Wilson’s presence should only help the Steelers’ passing attack in Week 3.
To this point, quarterback Justin Fields has only thrown for 273 yards and 114 of them have come courtesy of George Pickens. The only other wide receivers with receptions over the first two weeks are Van Jefferson (3 catches for 15 yards) and Calvin Austin III (2 catches for 13 yards).
This Steelers offense could use an injection of energy and talent. Wilson could provide both.
The Michigan product had been impressing this summer before his injury. His mix of route-running and speed should open up the passing game a bit for Fields, which could also help the rushing attack become more efficient overall.
