Troy Fautanu, Keeanu Benton suffer apparently minor injuries during Steelers preseason game
An important young lineman on each side of the ball suffered an injury during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason opener.
Defensive tackle Keeanu Benton left the Friday’s 20-12 loss to the Houston Texans during the second quarter because of an eye injury. Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu — the Steelers’ first-round pick in April — suffered a knee injury.
Coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged both injuries after the game, though word of Fautanu’s ailment did not come until about 15 minutes after Tomlin’s initial postgame news conference. Fautanu was spotted in the locker room with a brace on his lower left leg. He told teammates he was OK and indicated the injury occurred early in the game.
Fautanu played most of the first half at right tackle.
Benton told reporters after the game that he also was OK. Benton pulled himself from the game after a second-quarter play. After the game, Benton did not have any bandage or covering on his eyes.
Through a team spokesperson, Tomlin said he would update Fautanu’s injury Sunday. After an off day Saturday, the Steelers’ next training-camp practice is Sunday at Saint Vincent College.
Fautanu entered Friday’s game during the Steelers’ second offensive series. He played the rest of the first and second quarters.
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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