During OTAs, much of the news coming out of practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Given how the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently constructed, there could still be some noteworthy developments within the building. One area to closely monitor between now and the regular season is how they address their issues along the offensive line.
It is a unit that could see plenty of movement as the team works toward its Week 1 lineup.
It is now year three for Troy Fautanu with the Steelers, and the former first-round pick has spent his entire NFL career at right tackle. He made that switch after logging most of his college snaps on the left side. He remains one of the brighter spots along Pittsburgh’s offensive line. With Max Iheanachor now in the mix, it appears Fautanu could shift back to left tackle once again.
"I have had a lot of talks with coaches. Right now, it's still kind of just up in the air," Fautanu stated.
The coaching staff appears to be experimenting with several different combinations to determine how the offensive line could take shape. It would not be surprising to see players rotating frequently across the trenches during OTAs. Protecting Aaron Rodgers is the top priority, but that approach could come at a cost for Fautanu.
Shifting a young tackle from one side to the other risks creating a situation similar to what happened with Broderick Jones.
Early signs at Pittsburgh Steelers OTAs could have them risk OT Troy Fautanu's future
Ever since the Steelers selected Max Iheanachor with their top pick in the draft, many have wondered how the team would fit him alongside Troy Fautanu.
Given his previous experience on the left side, Fautanu appears to be the early favorite to take over as the starting left tackle. He has approached the weeks leading up to OTAs with that role in mind, and it could benefit him if he is able to settle in and find consistency there.
Fautanu continued, "Obviously the past couple of weeks just flipping back and forth trying to get comfortable."
One of the biggest concerns with this move stems from how the team previously handled Broderick Jones. He recently suffered a setback with a neck injury, but even before that, his development was impacted by being moved between right and left tackle early in his career, despite still being a raw player.
While Fautanu can be viewed as more polished at this stage, making another transition like this would still present a significant challenge.
After acknowledging that he had spent time working on both sides in the weeks leading up to OTAs, Fautanu did not appear fully prepared when the team surprisingly selected Iheanachor early in the draft. While he does have prior experience at left tackle, that came more than two seasons ago. This is a transition Fautanu is better equipped to handle than Jones ever was, but it's a legitimate concern.
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