The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped their preseason Week 1 game to the Houston Texans, 20-12, and 2024 first-round pick and offensive tackle Troy Fautanu suffered an injury in the process.
According to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Fautanu was spotted in the locker room after the game wearing a brace. The Steelers later revealed that Fautanu is dealing with a knee injury, although the severity remains unclear.
Fautanu started the game at right tackle and received plenty of first-team reps in his preseason debut. He was solid in the run game but did see some struggles in pass protection, with the rookie giving up a pair of sacks.
Fautanu is competing for a starting role upfront ahead of his first season and has been getting more and more first-team reps in practice, while last year's starting right tackle, Broderick Jones, has been getting looks on the left side.
#Steelers OT Troy Fautanu suffered a knee injury during tonight’s game and is being evaluated.
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) August 10, 2024
Ideally, Fautanu ends up at right tackle while Jones slides over to the left side to replace veteran Dan Moore, who has struggled mightily over the past few years.
Hopefully Fautanu's injury is nothing serious, as it could set him back in his bid to grab a starting role out of the gate. We should get an update on his status in the coming days.
The Steelers will return to action in preseason Week 2 next Saturday against the Buffalo Bills.
