After only one NFL game, rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu will miss the rest of the 2024 regular season after being placed on Injured Reserve (IR) by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The talented 2024 first-round draft pick could return to action if Pittsburgh makes it to the postseason.
Injury Takes Fautanu Out
Fautanu put together an excellent game against Denver, looking like the player the team selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. On Friday leading up to Pittsburgh’s Week 3 home opener, Fautanu suffered a non-contact knee injury during the team’s practice. Things progressed very quickly from that point, with reports following the situation going from a tweaked knee to the offensive lineman being ruled out for the matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. Finally, Fautanu was moved to IR after reports came out that the injury was a dislocated kneecap that would require surgery.
Along with Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones, who became the only two offensive tackles on Pittsburgh’s roster with Fautanu on IR, the Steelers signed Calvin Anderson, a veteran tackle, on Monday afternoon. The offensive tackle room was already considered thin with three players. Still, head coach Mike Tomlin preached the importance of positional fluidity in 2024, and this could be what he was preparing for.
2024 Steelers Handling Injuries Well
The Steelers’ 2023 season was defined by injury and not in a positive, inspiring way. What was supposed to be a rebuilt linebackers’ unit was shredded. Cole Holcomb (knee) and Kwon Alexander (Achilles) were lost with season-ending injuries in back-to-back weeks during November of 2023, and Elandon Roberts persevered through consistent injuries of his own. While the first three weeks of 2024 haven’t been as devasting as what 2023 became, it has undoubtedly tested Pittsburgh’s depth and ability to adapt on the fly.
After losing Nate Herbig for the season and Isaac Seumalo for several weeks, not to mention the struggles with Jones’ elbow, Fautanu was a potentially crushing blow. However, 2024 doesn’t have the same feel as the 2023 campaign did, with Sunday’s victory over the Chargers putting that on full display. Moore Jr. and Jones held up against the league’s best defense entering Week 3, Alex Highsmith left the game, and Nick Herbig hit the ground running, not to mention what Russell Wilson’s calf has opened the door for. Identity is forged through challenges, and 2024 already gives the Steelers plenty of that early on.
Final Thoughts
It would have been one thing if the Steelers had been up against a lesser opponent in Week 3’s contest, but the Chargers were the perfect litmus test for Pittsburgh. Not only did the depth players rise to the occasion on both sides of the ball, but it was one of the more balanced football games the Steelers had played in a very long time. While Fautanu won’t return during the regular season, the Steelers will continue getting healthier throughout the roster.
Seumalo, Highsmith, Jaylen Warren, and Roman Wilson will all return over the next few weeks. Considering the Steelers are 3-0 with several winnable games coming up (Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and Las Vegas Raiders), the potential for this team to get progressively better should put the rest of the AFC on notice.
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