PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There were times last year where it got very tough dealing with what would turn out to be a season ending injury. Often it was a call from mom that got him through. Troy Fautanu is healthy and will be full go for training camp and the season.
No doubt this year Fautanu is the Steelers right tackle. That being said coming back from a major injury, they are trying to manage his reps right now. It’s becoming a little harder for them to do.
“Once I took that first rep, I don’t want to get out,” Fautanu said. “It’s trying to be smart, but I’m a competitor. I love being out here.”
Last year there were high expectations for the 2024 Steelers first round pick. He was battling with Broderick Jones to be the starter out of training camp and was out there with the first team during the season opener, before the injury.
“It made me more hungry than I already was and I was pretty damn ready to play (last year),” Fautanu said. “Those nights sitting in my room, like, am I going to come back? There were a whole lot of thoughts that went through my head.”
That’s when those calls to mom were so valuable. Fautanu said the bad days were really bad and repeated the oft-said cliché about mom knowing best. He believed in this case it proved true, along with help from what he called a good team around him.
“At the end of the day, I made it through,” Fautanu said. “I feel like that’s what made me stronger. That’s what is going to make me and fuel me to play the best I can for this team.”
The 24-year-old comes back with high expectations, sure for him, but the entire offensive line. There are first-round picks starting at tackle, a second-rounder at center and an $8 million a year free agent at left guard. Fautanu said they understand the expectations and are a tight group. They are using this time to get tighter, to get comfortable and come out of the shoot like they’ve played together for a long time.
“Coach brings it up in nearly every team meeting that there is a point of emphasis with the big guys,” Fautanu said. “Obviously you see with how the draft has been going. The emphasis they put on drafting players up front is important. There is an expectation behind that.
They count on us to do our jobs at a high level.”
With only 55 snaps in the NFL, Fautanu said he feels like a second-year player. He learned and studied during his time on the sidelines. He said he’s been ready for this for a long time.
So has this franchise, waiting for a cohesive offensive line that can set the table for an offense still with other question marks.