Steelers' Troy Fautanu Reveals The Difficult Truth Of Moving To Left Tackle

The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense has some question marks entering the 2026 NFL regular season, none being bigger than the offensive line. The big men in the black and gold are looking to finally gel together and create a solid front, something that fans have not consistently seen in many years. 

The Steelers' front office has invested a lot in the offensive line as a whole for a number of seasons now, especially at the tackle position. Pittsburgh has spent a lot of resources on improving via the NFL Draft and in free agency. While the Steelers have some nice young pieces in this department, one of the biggest challenges has been finding where on the line each player is most effective at.

Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, who the Steelers used a first-round draft pick on in 2024, is making the switch this season from right tackle to left tackle. It has been a tall task for the third-year player, but one that he has been facing head-on. In a recent episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, Fautanu spoke about the difficulties that he has faced during the process of the position change and how the arrival of new head coach Mike McCarthy has tested his football mentality. 

"A lot of growing pains," Fautanu said. "Flipping things mentally, especially with the new things in our offense this year. It's been difficult, but I've been working my ass off."

Fautanu played left tackle during his time at the University of Washington and was able to win the Morris Trophy in 2023 as the best offensive lineman in the Pac-12. After being drafted by Pittsburgh, he saw his first NFL action in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL regular season against the Denver Broncos. He played right tackle there and showed flashes before suffering a dislocated kneecap that required surgery. That landed him on injured reserve for the rest of his rookie season. 

In 2025, Fautanu bounced back, starting all 17 games at right tackle for Pittsburgh. He was credited with allowing only 2 sacks and being flagged for 3 penalties across the entire 2025 NFL season. 

The move to left tackle can be attributed to the Steelers' attempt to solidify their franchise tackles on both sides. Dylan Cook is projected to be Pittsburgh's starter at right tackle, although he has faced some difficulties this preseason. The rest of the presumed starting offensive line consists of recent standout draft picks Mason McCormick at left guard, Zach Frazier at center, and Spencer Anderson at right guard.

Steelers Still Have Question Marks Surrounding Other Linemen

Pittsburgh used their first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on offensive tackle Max Iheanachor from Arizona State. Iheanachor got his first taste of in-game NFL action in the Steelers' preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills, in which he showed a lot of upside. Pittsburgh did not make this pick just for him to be a backup, so it will be interesting to see what the starting offensive line looks like whenever the organization is ready to slot Iheanachor into the starting role.

Broderick Jones, who also spoke in the recent episode of Cameron Heyward's podcast, has questions looming over his time in Pittsburgh as well. The Steelers selected Jones 14th overall back in the 2023 NFL Draft and he played in all 17 games during his first and second years in the NFL. In 2025, his season was cut short due to a neck injury suffered late in the season. The gamble that Pittsburgh took on Jones has not paid off, as he has yet to find his footing as a pro. The experiment with Jones could be nearing an end if he does not find a way to make a huge impression this upcoming season.

Pittsburgh is going to need to shore up its offensive line woes rather quickly, as the NFL regular season draws closer. The Steelers' season opener kicks off against the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium on September 13th, and it will take a sturdy group up front to get the job done.

#SteelerNation