The Pittsburgh Steelers may have to do quite a bit of shuffling along their offensive line. They now have several players who played tackle in college, and a couple have been speculated about potentially moving to guard. One obvious candidate is Gennings Dunker, who seems like a strong option at left guard.
Another is Troy Fautanu.
Despite a strong season at right tackle in 2025, a few analysts have speculated that a move to guard could be in Fautanu’s future. To Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly, that wouldn’t make much sense.
“I disagree with the Fautanu to guard. You got a guy who’s proven he’s a pretty good tackle. I’m not moving a tackle to guard,” Kaboly said Wednesday on 93.7 The Fan.
For what it’s worth, Fautanu does have experience at guard, although it’s not much. Some saw him as a top guard prospect coming out of high school, and he started two total games at left guard during the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Washington. So, while he hasn’t been at the position in a long time, he does have some familiarity with it.
But just because Troy Fautanu can play the position doesn’t mean it’s smart to move him. Heck, even flipping him across the line of scrimmage to left tackle isn’t the best idea in the eyes of some. Fautanu missed almost his entire rookie season, and found a home during his first full season last year. It surely wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep him at right tackle. And having him switch to guard, a position where he’s played just two games since 2021, could hinder his development.
For 2025, moving him there could open up some spots for Max Iheanachor, Dylan Cook and Broderick Jones, if Jones is healthy. But the Steelers should be thinking about the future too. And if Fautanu plays left guard, that could block Gennings Dunker from the starting lineup. He feels like a strong candidate for that spot, and some think he should be getting plenty of snaps in his own rookie season.
Ultimately, everything remains on the table with this offensive line. There’s a ton of positional versatility across the unit and a lot of depth as well. Troy Fautanu very well could be part of that change. But Kaboly doesn’t think that should include him moving to guard.
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