Steelers A to Z: If healthy, will Troy Fautanu take star turn as starting right tackle?

Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2025 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 12 and July 23. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

OT TROY FAUTANU

Experience/age: 2nd season, 24

Contract status: $3.42 million cap hit in 2025, signed through 2027 with a team option for 2028

The past: Drafted with the 20th overall pick of last year after starting during the University of Washington’s run to the College Football Playoff national championship game, Fautanu quickly impressed Steelers coaches last summer. He ascended to first-team duties, but a knee injury during his preseason debut stunted the start of his rookie season. Still, despite limited practice time and scant preseason experience, Fautanu was named the starting right tackle — supplanting the previous year’s first-round pick, Broderick Jones — for a Week 2 win at the Denver Broncos. Even though the Steelers intended for Jones and Fautanu to alternate series, Fautanu played the vast majority of the game and appeared poised to be an all-rookie NFL tackle.

But five days later, Fautanu suffered another knee injury during practice. It ended his rookie season at one game and 53 snaps. According to Pro Football Focus in that tiny sample size, Fautanu allowed no sacks but two pressures in 29 pass-blocking snaps and he was part of a running game that had 141 rushing yards.

Steelers 1st-rd pick Troy Fautanu on his feelings getting the diagnosis in Sept on what ended up a season-ending knee injury pic.twitter.com/iEG9czoKUC

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) January 13, 2025

2025 outlook: Coaches were enamored by the smooth, quick feet that the 317-pound Fautanu displayed during practices. That he was quickly given starting jobs despite missing so much practice time says it all — consider how other rookies or even veterans often are much more slowly re-assimilated after missing time due to injury.

With the departure of veteran starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr. in free agency, Fautanu has already been named the starting right tackle for 2025. (Jones was moved to the left side). Staying healthy, of course, is the wild card. But despite Fautanu’s cursed rookie season, he did not have a history of injury in college. A 2½-year starter in college who will turn 25 years old only four games into the regular season, Fautanu has a maturity that when combined with his athleticism could have the makings of a long and fruitful career as a high-end NFL right tackle. With apologies to the cameo last year in Denver, Fautanu’s journey begins in earnest this fall.