The Pittsburgh Steelers have been working to rebuild their entire offense for the past two seasons. They brought in new Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith, new quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, and cleaned up the wide receiver room. The one area on offense that has gotten the most focus, however, is the offensive line. After watching that group struggle to protect four different quarterbacks over the past few years, it was time for some upgrades.
Harrison Barden / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Arthur Smith.
In 2023, the team brought in Isaac Seumalo, and drafted Broderick Jones and Spencer Anderson. Then, in 2024, they selected Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick. Heading into training camp in Latrobe, it felt like the plan was all coming together, and expectations were high.
Then the injury bug struck. Now, both Seumalo and Fautanu look to be sidelined in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. This is unfortunate, considering an earlier injury to Nate Herbig seemed to speed up Frazier's timeline, thrusting him into the starting role. Now Anderson will fill in for Seumalo, at least for the first week.
All of this throws a spanner in the works, keeping Dan Moore Jr. on the field and having Jones once again play out of his natural position. But it doesn't diminish the talent of these two young offensive linemen. However, it makes it harder to understand how this unit will come together as a cohesive squad.
Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo
Steelers' Troy Fautanu.
Recently, Ray Fittipaldo, the Steelers reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was asked in his well-known chat column who he believes will ultimately have the better career: Jones or Fautanu.
"Hmmm Broderick Jones or Troy Fautanu," pondered Fittipaldo. I think both will be good players, but I think Fautanu has a chance to be exceptional."
Both had outstanding college careers playing left tackle, Jones for Georgia and Fautanu for Washington. Jones gave a solid performance in 2023 when he was put in for the benched Chukwuma Okorafor. However, that wasn't the case in the 2024 preseason, where Jones looked rusty and vulnerable.
The Steelers coaching staff has been heavily criticized for playing Jones out of position. His struggles during the preseason games have only fueled concerns about his development as a player. Many feel that he should be playing left tackle, after all that is where General Manager Omar Khan had said they planned to use him eventually.
The New York Times
Steelers' OT Broderick Jones.
However, in his pregame press conference on Tuesday, Head Coach Mike Tomlin said that he is still unsure where Jones will end up playing. He acknowledged that Jones has been thrust into the right tackle role quite a bit, especially since Moore says he is unable to play that position. Tomlin and Khan have both praised Jones for his versatility and adaptability.
The initial depth chart shows that Moore will remain at left tackle with Jones on the right. Of course, all of this is held up by Fautanu and his injury. The Steelers have never been the kind of team that throws their rookies to the wolves and seem even less likely to do so while that rookie is recovering from an injury. While they both seem to have a great deal of upside, it is hard to evaluate players who never get to settle into position.
Steelers' Mason McCormick Appears To Be A Favorite
The Steelers are planning to start Anderson in place of Seumalo, but that doesn't mean they don't love McCormick. Recently, Brian Batko, also from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, shared his thoughts on McCormick.
He feels that if Seumalo stays out for longer than expected or if they need to call on a backup at some point during the season, McCormick could get the nod over Anderson.
Steelers.com
Pittsburgh Steelers' Mason McCormick.
Batko said that when the Steelers drafted McCormick, he was surprised. The fact that they took a player they didn't necessarily need with a relatively high selection, told him that they value McCormick a lot more than people realize. We may see that value much sooner than anticipated.
Who do you think will have the more exceptional career, Jones or Fautanu? Click to comment below.
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