The Pittsburfgh Steelers are off to their hottest start in the past four years, sitting pretty atop the division at 3-0 after an emphatic win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
But the it wasn't all good news for Pittsburgh over the weekend, as the team placed rookie first-rounder and starting RT Troy Fautanu on injured reserve on Saturday following a knee injury that occurred during Friday's practice.
Well, late on Sunday night it became clear that Fautanu's injury is more serious than initially estimated:
Troy Fautanu to miss regular season
Fautanu made his first start just last week against the Denver Broncos after missing the opener as he recovered from a preseason MCL sprain. An entirely separate injury, the rarity of Fautanu's injury clouds his timetable, though if Pittsburgh were to make the postseason, his return could not be ruled out:
Sources: Steelers impressive rookie RT Troy Fautanu, who was placed on IR this week, suffered what is essentially a dislocated kneecap and will have surgery to repair the ligament damage.
Fautanu is out for the regular season, tho could return if PIT makes the playoffs.
- Ian Rapoport, NFL Media via X-Twitter
For now, the team turns back to Broderick Jones, the man who Fautnau replaced in the stating lineup just a week ago, only further solidifying his spot after a series of penalties by Jones against the Broncos.
For what it's worth, Jones was solid on Sunday against the Chargers, with no penalties and holding his own against a Chargers front that dealt with some attrition of their own along the defensive line.
Fautanu, who was selected 20th overall in April's draft, did have some injury flags from teams during the pre-draft process, particularly in terms of his knees.
However. this kind of injury is seldom seen and almost comes across as a freak incident.
With the Steelers off to a fast start, the playoffs could very well be in their future, meaning Fautanu's recovery could be very important come the homestretch of the season.
