When looking at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line, one thing is apparent. They’ve got a ton of positional versatility. One excellent example of that is Troy Fautanu. The young tackle played on the left side for his final two seasons at Washington before being drafted by the Steelers in 2024. He then made a transition to the right side. And despite missing nearly his entire rookie year with an injury, he looked solid in that spot in 2025.
However, he might not be done moving around. While he notes it’s not something the Steelers specifically want to do, Gerry Dulac thinks the Steelers know they could stick Fautanu at guard if needed.
“I don’t think that will happen, but the Steelers have always had that in their collective from the moment they drafted him,” Dulac wrote Wednesday in his chat with The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ‘I don’t think they are dead-set on moving Fautanu to guard. But it is something they know they can do if necessary.”
Guard isn’t a completely foreign position for Troy Fautanu. Obviously, many saw him as a tackle prospect coming out of high school. Yet, 247 Sports ranked him as a four-star prospect at the guard position. He also had two starts at the position at Washington, one in 2021 and one in 2022.
Given the Steelers’ current offensive line, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility. If Broderick Jones can get healthy for the start of the regular season, Pittsburgh has three other capable tackles on the roster. Jones’ future doesn’t seem to be long in Pittsburgh, but he could still get time this season. Dylan Cook also played well to end the 2025 season. He could be a candidate for either side of the line. Of course, the Steelers just drafted a first-round tackle in Max Iheanachor, too.
There are plenty of variables in there, though. Jones’ health as the season rolls around is very much up in the air. And while Iheanachor isn’t that raw for someone so new to the sport, the Steelers may want to take a more developmental approach with him. Plus, if one of Gennings Dunker, Spencer Anderson or Brock Hoffman makes an impression during camp, moving Fautanu to left guard wouldn’t be needed quite as much. With Mason McCormick at right guard, you’d think left guard is where the Steelers would want to move Fautanu to.
There are reasons moving Troy Fautanu to guard wouldn’t make sense. While he has prior experience, he hasn’t had a start at that position since 2022. And after drafting three first-round tackles in four years, it makes sense to keep Fautanu at a spot where he showed solid progress. Again, it doesn’t seem to be something the Steelers are aiming for. But Dulac does say it’s something they know they have in their arsenal.
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