The Pittsburgh Steelers have downgraded starting rookie right tackle Troy Fautanu to out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Fautanu is still undergoing further evaluation for a knee injury that he suffered during Friday’s practice, but he is expected to be sidelined indefinitely, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Broderick Jones will start in Fautanu’s place on Sunday.
Jones confirmed Fautanu’s injury after practice on Friday and said he would be getting an MRI. Schefter using the term “sidelined indefinitely” doesn’t sound promising, either. It could be a long-term injury.
“Troy had a little tweak today,” Jones said. “We really don’t know what his status is gonna be. But I filled in for him and we’re just gonna roll from there. After he gets his MRI and stuff, we’ll just figure out what’s going on from there. The coaches are going to make the decision and go from there. We’ve got two days. He’s got a day break to rest whatever it is. I really don’t even know what happened to him. I ain’t seen it. We’ll figure it out and go from there.”
Fautanu had a standout performance in his first career start against Denver last Sunday. He allowed no pressure and went unbeaten across 29 pass-blocking snaps,”according to Pro Football Focus.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu before his first start against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 15, 2024. — Alan Saunders / Steelers Now
Fautanu had just recovered from an MCL sprain on his left knee, and had still been wearing a brace at practice, even though he was cleared to play.
The Steelers are dealing with a bunch of injuries across their offensive line. Center/guard Nate Herbig is out for the season with a rotator cuff injury, tackle Dylan Cook is on the injured reserve list with a foot injury and starting left guard Isaac Seumalo is out with a pectoral injury.
“We’ll figure it out,” Jones said. “I’ve been there before. It ain’t nothing new. It ain’t nothing mystical. Just gotta get out there and do it whenever my name is called.”
Jones was flagged three times in a six-play span before being benched against the Denver Broncos last Sunday.
“I feel like I got better this week during practice, for the most part,” Jones said. “Just gotta continue to stay upright. You know it’s a long season. Always trying to take care of the body as much as possible and just being available.”
Jones has received a lot of flak from fans and the media for his struggles, but it doesn’t faze him.
“I really don’t care what people think,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’ve gotta go out there and do my job to the best of my ability.”
