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The Pittsburgh Steelers placed rookie right tackle Troy Fautanu on injured reserve on September 21. With the move, the Steelers will be without Fautanu for a minimum of four weeks.
But according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, his absence will be a lot longer than that.
Rapoport reported on X (formerly Twitter) that Fautanu suffered an injury similar to a dislocated kneecap and needs surgery. He added the rookie right tackle will not play again during the regular season.
“Sources: Steelers impressive rookie RT Troy Fautanu, who was placed on IR this week, suffered what is essentially a dislocated kneecap and will have surgery to repair the ligament damage,” wrote Rapoport.
“Fautanu is out for the regular season, tho could return if PIT makes the playoffs.”
Fautanu first suffered a knee injury with a left MCL sprain during the preseason opener. He didn’t play the rest of the preseason and then missed Week 1.
He returned, though, to start Week 2 against the Denver Broncos. Fautanu was set to start at right tackle again in Week 3 but left practice on September 20. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported that Fautanu left practice after feeling ‘a little tweak’ in his knee.
Broderick Jones started at right tackle for the Steelers on September 22.
Steelers’ Troy Fautanu Reportedly Out for the Regular Season
Rapoport was the first to report a specific injury that caused Fautanu to land on injured reserve. But his report that Fautanu will miss the rest of the regular season is not necessarily new.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac included in his report on September 21 that when Fautanu landed on IR he was “expected” to be out for a significant amount of time.
“Steelers have placed rookie RT Troy Fautanu on IR with a significant knee injury and the news is not good: He is expected to miss most if not all of the 2024 season, per sources,” Dulac wrote on X.
The Steelers drafted Fautanu at No. 20 overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. He started 15 games at left tackle during his final college season at Washington, but he played multiple positions during his college career. The Steelers selected him to be their future right tackle.
The future became now for the Steelers when Fautanu beat out Jones for the right tackle starting job despite his injury during the preseason.
Steelers Turn Back to Broderick Jones
When Fautanu returned in Week 2, the Steelers planned to rotate him and Week 1 starter Jones. But head coach Mike Tomlin benched Jones after he committed three penalties on his first series.
The Steelers also drafted Jones in the first round of the draft in 2023. He started at right tackle last season, but general manager Omar Khan clearly stated at the NFL combine during the offseason that Jones is the team’s future left tackle.
After Week 2, Jones was set to sit the bench. That might not have been the worst thing for Jones. It may have even been helpful, as it would have allowed Jones to focus on his eventual transition to left tackle.
Veteran Dan Moore Jr. has started at left tackle for the Steelers since the 2021 season.
But without Fautanu, Jones will likely start the rest of 2024 at right tackle.
According to the Pro Football Focus player grades, Jones turned in his best performance during Week 3. However, he has yet to post better than a 51.2 PFF grade (out of 100) this season.
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