LATROBE, PA (93.7 The Fan) – While Broderick Jones had to wait for his opportunity to play, it’s trending to where not only the Steelers 2024 top pick, but second round pick could start on the offensive line when the season opens in Atlanta.
The Post-Gazette reporting tackle Troy Fautanu will start at right tackle on Week 1 even though Fautanu is currently out with a minor knee injury. There is also the growing momentum for center Zach Frazier after Nate Herbig and Justin Fields missed on a couple of center/quarterback exchanges in the preseason opener against Houston.
Let’s start with the one that seemed less likely based on how the team approached Jones. Last season Dan Moore, Junior held onto his starting spot with Chukwuma Okorafor on the right side. When Okorafor went down, it was only then when the first-round pick Jones played, moving over to a more unfamiliar position. He would get his first NFL start on Week 5 at right tackle and would become the everyday starter on Week 8.
Even with giving up a couple of sacks on Friday and the meniscus injury, Fautanu could be the starter according to veteran PG writer Gerry Dulac. In comparing Fautanu to Jones, you are also comparing college experience. Jones started 19 games at Georgia while Fautanu started 31 and named the top offensive lineman in the Pac-12 last season.
“He’s doing really well,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin about Fautanu’s performance Friday. “Obviously, we wanted to give him a lot of work because that’s where he is in development, but I like the general trajectory of it.”
Was it an injury that really showed he’s ready to start?
What turned out to be a knee sprain happened during the game Friday, but Fautanu remained in the game.
“I didn't even realize he had an injury,” said Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. “He kept playing and he just asked for a knee brace, so thankfully he’ll be alright, and it shows who he really is when you get in those moments.”
With him injured, there hasn’t been the opportunity for reporters to ask Fautanu about the game or his injury, but instead of his stock dropping as usually happens when you miss time, the first-rounder from Washington might now be the starter.
“I love to impose your will on another man,” Fautanu said last week adding you have to have confidence you can be the best in the game and that’s his goal. “You don’t get to do that anywhere else.”
The odds-on favorite to start as a rookie is center Frazier. Nate Herbig got the most reps with the first team at practice on Monday, but Frazier is starting to get first-team snaps here and there. None of it is a surprise to Mike Tomlin.
“He was in the stadium on Friday, he’s got that in-stadium exposure, and so it’s reasonable to expect him to be significantly better,” Tomlin said. “This week, we’re going to position him to do so with an increased workload.”
Smith said Frazier has had ‘a terrific camp’. The West Virginia All-American said he’s always hard on himself, but said it’s been good so far. In the NFL Draft previews, Frazier was seen by most as the most NFL-ready center after starting 47 games in college. Every day he’s out on the field, he gets more and more comfortable. Now it’s just about getting more and more shots.
It’s looking more and more like both of these rookies will get a shot to start.