Steelers' Troy Fautanu And Mason McCormick Both Switch Positions On First Day Of 2026 OTAs

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of questions surrounding the team as Organized Team Activities (OTAs) begin. The Aaron Rodgers saga finally came to an end when the veteran signal-caller agreed to ink a one-year deal worth up to $25 million. There were plenty of rumors regarding the situation; however, it ended as many predicted it would. The four-time MVP will lead the offense and reunite with his former head coach in Mike McCarthy. Overall, though, the unit will need to take a step forward in 2026, and that could be difficult due to some uncertainty on the offensive line.

The main challenge with predicting what the group of big men up front could look like is that nobody is quite sure what the future holds for Broderick Jones. He is working his way back from a neck injury that he suffered later on in the 2025 campaign, and reportedly had a setback recently. He might not even be ready for the start of the regular season.

The Steelers decided to take another lineman in the first round of an NFL Draft, with Max Iheanachor being selected 21st overall back in April. Despite this, the rookie isn't being viewed as a first-teamer right off the bat. In fact, Pittsburgh's first day of OTAs displayed a formation upfront that not many initially would have expected. Troy Fautanu has moved to left tackle for the time being.

Not only did Fautanu move to protect Rodgers' blindside, but Mason McCormick also was seen getting work in at left guard, instead of right. It appears that McCarthy and co. might believe that a complete reformation of the group is necessary. This would insinuate that the current decision-makers didn't necessarily believe in what the unit looked like in 2025 after Jones' injury.

There is still plenty of time until the meaningful football games start being played, but this is a change of pace that was not expected to occur with both Fautanu and McCormick switching sides on the line. It is very possible that the Steelers want the setup to look like this moving forward, with Iheanachor possibly replacing Dylan Cook at some point and Gennings Dunker starting at right guard over Spencer Anderson.

A lot will go into protecting Rodgers, especially because of the fact that he is 42 years of age. He cannot move like he used to, so it will be imperative that the linemen are giving him the time he needs to manipulate opposing defenses. The Steelers are likely to try out plenty of different groupings when it comes to this specific unit; however, it is certainly notable that Fautanu and McCormick both have flopped to the other side.

The new coaching staff will be paying close attention to how these five individuals gel throughout offseason workouts. As of now, it seems like the only lock to play a specific position is Zach Frazier snapping the ball at center. Other than that, there are a lot more questions compared to answers as Pittsburgh ramps up preparation for the 2026 campaign.

Steelers Need To Keep Rodgers Upright Throughout 2026

Pittsburgh had issues in 2025 when Rodgers was rushing throws because he did not seem to want to get hit. If that issue can be resolved, the offense will actually have a very good chance at being productive consistently. Fautanu has All-Pro potential, so switching him to left tackle could prove to be worthwhile. McCormick also should be able to make the transition easily. It will be interesting to see if this formation of the line remains, or if it's simply McCarthy and co. trying something different.

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