PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu expects to practice when the Steelers reconvene next Monday for their first practice before their clash with the Atlanta Falcons.
On Wednesday, Fautanu took the field for the first time since his injury. He worked on pass sets, a movement that will be essential to feel comfortable with if he is going to play with a massive knee brace. Now that the team has him running, too, Fautanu feels more comfortable.
"You know, they’ve been slowly progressing me to make sure that I hit my peak, I guess, in terms of how my injury is healing at the right time, so I’m just trusting them,” Fautanu said. “But today it felt really good to get out there. I ran yesterday a little bit, a little sore, but today it felt good.”
As for wearing a huge brace on one leg, this is new for Fautanu. He never wore them at Washington, and that was because offensive line coach Scott Huff did not believe in wearing braces. He thought it restricted linemen’s movements, but Fautanu did wear those braces in high school.
It is a new adjustment for him, but because of the injury, the Steelers will require him to wear that brace on his knee to provide stability.
“I’ve always been a big believer of no brace,” Fautanu said. “My college coach has never made me wear braces because he just thought it restricted our movement. I wore them in high school because I had to, but, for me I just try to do the best that I can with the brace on. I’ve got no choice, just to try and protect this thing and make sure it doesn’t get hurt again.”
When it comes to knee injuries, the Steelers want to ensure that Fautanu has full trust in his knee. Players often get hurt because they do not trust the knee, which can lead to other injuries as an adverse effect.
So, Fautanu is going through movements, including pass sets, outside zone tracks, and other movements that fit with what he would do on a normal gameday.
“I think the biggest thing is just knowing that it’s healing really well and just having that confidence when I get out there and not second-guessing because that’s when people get hurt again,” Fautanu said. “They get hurt when they try to shy away from doing what they’re usually used to doing. By the time I’m full go, I need to make sure that cutting motion, all that stuff feels good.”
Fautanu is battling for the starting right tackle spot, and it will be up to his health to decide if he can play Week 1. What will the Steelers do if he is healthy is the real question, but since the team started moving Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones around on Wednesday, that could signal the Steelers are preparing for Fautanu’s return.
