1st-round pick Troy Fautanu works with 1st team as he preps for possible 1st NFL start for Steelers

Troy Fautanu was disappointed he didn’t get a chance to get his uniform dirty in his first NFL game.

The first-round draft pick dressed Sunday in Atlanta when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Falcons, 18-10, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Fautanu, though, was one of two players on the active roster who didn’t play a single snap. Backup quarterback Kyle Allen was the other.

“Man, I was ready to go,” Fautanu said Wednesday. “I was hoping for whatever situation happened. I was waiting for them to call my number, waiting to get in and get some reps. It didn’t happen, but I’ll be super excited for whatever comes soon.”

Fautanu’s debut could come Sunday in Denver when the Steelers face the Broncos at Empower Field. With left tackle Dan Moore nursing an ankle injury, Fautanu could be in line to start at right tackle, with former No. 1 draft pick Broderick Jones moving to left tackle.

Moore did not practice Wednesday when the Steelers began on-field preparations for the Broncos game. Fautanu confirmed he took first-team as well as second-team snaps. Jones switched sides and played his natural position, teammates confirmed.

Moore said he plans to return to practice this week, so it remains to be seen whether Fautanu’s work with the first-team will be a regular occurrence.

“We’ll have to find out,” Fautanu said. “Whenever an injury happens in the room, the next man has to step up and there can’t be any dropoff.”

The offensive line, which already included two first-time in NFL starters in center Zach Frazier and left guard Spencer Anderson, helped pave the way for the Steelers to gain 137 yards rushing. It was their highest rushing total in a season opener since 2020, when they totaled 141 against the New York Giants.

Quarterback Justin Fields, meantime, was sacked just twice in his first start with the Steelers.

If Moore can’t play — he has missed just two games in three-plus seasons — the Steelers would start four offensive linemen with two or fewer years of NFL experience in Jones, Fautanu, Frazier and Anderson, who continued to work with the first team while Isaac Seumalo recovers from a pectoral strain.

Anderson acknowledged having to adjust to Jones playing on his left Thursday. Jones had worked exclusively at right tackle after Fautanu injured his knee in the preseason opener.

“The techniques are a little different because we’re all different body types,” Anderson said. “As far as there being a drop-off or a better guy next to me, that’s not the case. It’s not anything different.”

Fautanu was tracking to potentially start the season at right tackle until he injured his knee. He missed several weeks of practice and didn’t work fully in team portions until last week when he was a full participant Thursday and Friday.

“It’s tough missing three weeks,” he said. “It’s three weeks I wasn’t able to get better. I was more locked in mentally, so when I did get back out there, I’m playing fast. Whatever role they are giving me come this game, I’m ready to go.”

Fautanu’s health has progressed to the point that he took snaps at right tackle with the second-team offense, too.

“We don’t carry as many people as we did in college,” he said. “I have to get used to playing with both. It’s good for volume trying to get back into it after being out a couple weeks.”

Jones has tried to help Fautanu accelerate his learning curve of playing right tackle. Jones made the transition last year when he started the final 10 games of the season on the right side after subbing for Moore early in the season for a game at Houston.

“We’re similar in age, and he’s young, too, but he has a year under his belt, and I don’t,” Fautanu said. “It’s listening to everybody in the room during this process. They’re all looking out for me. He’s giving me perspective on what to expect.”