"The Kid Keeps On Getting Better"

Former Steelers Starter Makes Major Troy Fautanu Prediction

Story by Jack Markowski •

There were some question marks surrounding second-year Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu entering the 2025 campaign, but he's surpassed all expectations thus far.

On his "Snap Count" podcast, former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex gave a glowing review of Fautanu's recent performance and made a rather bold declaration about the kind of player he'll eventually become for the team.

"The kid keeps on getting better," Essex said, per Steelers Depot's Jake Brockhoff. "He had some ebb and flow; this is essentially his rookie year. But he is on a streak right now. These last few games, he's just been balling. The kid is going to be a Pro Bowler. There's no doubt in my mind. He's that good."

Fautanu's Lost Rookie Year
The No. 20 overall selection out of Washington in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Fautanu was projected to step into an offensive line that was in the midst of a youth movement next to the likes of second-rounder Zach Frazier, fourth-rounder Mason McCormick and 2023 first-round selection Broderick Jones, who he was more or less battling with for the starting right tackle job.

Fautanu appeared in the Steelers' preseason opener vs. the Houston Texans, though he suffered a knee injury that kept him out through Week 2 of the regular season against the Denver Broncos. He seemed to have beaten out Jones after logging 55 snaps in that contest, but the 25-year-old dislocated his knee cap during practice that following week and went on to miss the remainder of the campaign.

As a result, the 2025 season is his first full go-around in the league and could more or less be viewed as his rookie year, much like Essex stated, given that he only played in one game in 2024.

Fautanu's Numbers
With Jones having slid over to left tackle after Dan Moore Jr. left for the Tennessee Titans in free agency this past offseason, Fautanu never faced any real competition for the right tackle job during training camp or the preseason.

He's stayed on the field for the entire year up to this point and emerged as an anchor for Pittsburgh's offensive line while doing so, allowing just a single sack and 16 pressures thus far, per Pro Football Focus.

Fautanu was particularly dominant against the Chicago Bears in Week 12, as he did not give up a pressure or quarterback takedown over a season-high 72 snaps, according to PFF.

Among the right tackles with the 20 highest snap totals at the position this season, Fautanu is one of six to have ceded no more than a single sack and one of nine to have allowed fewer than 20 pressures.

He's been everything the Steelers could've asked for and then some, and the organization hopes he can continue developing into a true stalwart for them.

 

For those of us who watched Troy Fautanu in College, such results should not be surprising in the slightest. He was widely reputed to be a Top 10 Prospect coming out. His knee issues caused him to slide.


He wasnt available much in his Rookie Season. This season has been his baptism by fire. So far so good in my opinion.

 

Future LT…

 

I would advise against such.


Keep Troy where he is at. Use 2026 to find legitimate competition for Broderick. Broderick likely leaves in 2027 and that player is the new LT.

 

Would Jones have success as a LG? Seumalu will most likely be gone next year. Slide Jones over and draft a LT

 

Nope.


For that matter, the issues Broderick Jones has now, namely hand placement, strike timing, leverage and most of all in lunging, would be magnified even more as a LG. Remember that merely moving inside is not the cure all so many believe it to be. While the amount of space Broderick would need to move to engage his opponent would decrease, the amount of time it would take for Broderick to engage skyrockets. Given the aforementioned issues, Broderick would look a lot worse than he already does.


Andrus Peat was able to do so for timing wasn't nearly as big of an issue for him coming out of Stanford. For Broderick, if there was a time to do so, it would have been in his Rookie Season where he could learn a new position. That said, that likely would have doomed Broderick for Broderick has no prior in game experience playing that position at all.

 

BroJo is the draft pick that should have been.

 

Moving him to guard might cure one problem; he is repeatedly beaten on inside moves. At least he would have help on either side.

 

If Broderick can improve his overall timing and accuracy of landing his strikes?! You have something potentially good to even great to work with. As it stands now?! Broderick wouldn't fare much better than Kendrick Green; a player who is even worse at his natural position than Broderick would be converting to one.