The Pittsburgh Steelers invested heavily in the offensive line during the 2024 NFL Draft. A year after moving up to select offensive tackle Broderick Jones with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the team waited patiently as University of Washington tackle Troy Fautanu fell to the 20th overall pick. Both Jones and Fautanu played on the left side in college, but Jones started nine games down the stretch for the team at right tackle and Fautanu got reps on the right at rookie minicamp.
Fautanu explained that playing his non-natural side has been an adjustment. Still, he expressed that he's comfortable doing it if that's what is asked of him while speaking to reporters after practice during Wednesday's Organized Team Activities (OTAs) portion of the offseason.
"I wouldn’t say that it’s hard but it’s for sure different," he said. "For me, it’s just another opportunity. Whatever the position coach wants me to play, I’m going to play it. I'm not going to argue against him because he knows a lot more than I do. If he thinks I can play right, then I'll play right."
Fautanu said he's very comfortable at left tackle having played there for most of his life, but the transition to the other side is getting easier. Even though Fautanu is likely working to take his starting job, Dan Moore Jr. has been an incredible resource for the rookie. He said they spent almost a half-hour discussing techniques and the challenge that some of the league's elite pass-rushers pose.
"Switching to the right, it's getting a little easier every day," he said. "It's a lot different than last week when we were just going up against air, now I've got guys in front of me. I'm just working at it constantly every single day and hopefully I get better."
Jones didn't start his rookie season until Week 5. Moore has started 49 games since being drafted in the fourth round in 2021. Whether or not Fautanu is in the starting lineup in Week 1 of 2024 is an intriguing question that may remain unanswered until the preseason concludes.
Jones didn't play much in the first three weeks of the season as the team was patient wit him. In Week 4 against the Houston Texans, he got his first real taste of action on offense with 51 snaps. He made his first start the following week against the Baltimore Ravens. Jones returned to the bench for the next two weeks with limited snap counts, before he got back into the starting lineup against the Tennessee Titans. He held onto that starting spot and didn't let go of it from that point on.
Steelers Continue Overhaul Of Offensive Line
Pittsburgh has put quite a lot of work into reshaping the offensive line over the last three seasons. Franchise stalwarts Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro hung up their cleats after the 2020 season, which left the team scrambling for a center and a new guard. After Kendrick Green and Kevin Dotson didn't fit in 2021, the team acquired Mason Cole and James Daniels to shore up those positions. Guard Isaac Seumalo was brought in before the 2023 season.
It seems that Daniels and Seumalo have been valuable additions to the club, but Cole didn't work out. Although he had a solid first season in Pittsburgh, inconsistency crept into his game in the 2023 season, and he's currently looking for work after being cut by the Steelers. Second-round pick Zach Frazier is expected to take over Cole's job, while Daniels and Seumalo will be manning the guard spots.
The biggest question marks on the offensive line are at tackle. Jones seems to have done enough in his first season to have earned one of the spots. The side he plays and who plays opposite him is a major storyline to follow as the offseason progresses.
