Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu lines up during an preseason game at Acrisure Stadium, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.
Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu lines up during an preseason game at Acrisure Stadium, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.
Throughout the offseason, the prevailing thought surrounding Troy Fautanu’s transition from right to left tackle was this: He played on the left side of the offensive line at Washington, so the move back after two years as the Steelers’ starting right tackle would be relatively seamless.
Right?
It’s been far from easy for Fautanu.
But, as the Steelers near the midway point of the season, Fautanu says he is finally beginning to feel at home again on the left side.
[Steelers receiver DK Metcalf, right, jukes a Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum on Sunday, Oct 18, 2026, in Tampa, Fla.
Steelers receiver DK Metcalf, right, jukes a Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum on Sunday, Oct 18, 2026, in Tampa, Fla.](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2026/10/18/steelers-report-card-buccaneers-week6/stories/202610180077)
“For sure, there is the added pressure of playing left tackle, but it also gives me confidence because they have the confidence in me that I was able to do it,” Fautanu said. “Whenever you have those thoughts of doubt or doubt creeps into your mind, sometimes you just have to remember they wouldn’t put me in this important position if they didn’t believe in me.”
NFL offensive linemen are world-class athletes, especially those like Fautanu who are selected in the first round of the draft.
Left tackles have a job that is among the most important on the team. They are asked to be the blind-side protector for the franchise’s most-prized asset — the quarterback.
In Fautanu’s case, his job is protecting a soon-to-be 43-year-old future Hall of Famer whose days as a scrambler are long gone.
When Aaron Rodgers was flattened by a vicious blind-side hit from New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss in Week 2, Fautanu got the blame for allowing a free rush on Rodgers. The protection scheme was not communicated on that play, but whether it’s a mental or physical gaffe, the job of a left tackle comes with great scrutiny — and great responsibility.
That’s something Fautanu takes to heart.
“Being on the blind side, I know I have to be good,” he said. “ ... I could get beat inside on the right side and the quarterback can react because he can see him coming. But on the left, it’s a little different. There are just certain nuances, too, of being in that position. I’m slowly starting to find myself and being myself when it’s game time. It’s a lot.”
[Protesters demonstrate against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.
Protesters demonstrate against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.](https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2026/10/19/steelers-paris-game-france-protests/stories/202610190026)
The reason Fautanu was thrust into the mid-career position switch is a study in how difficult playing offensive line in the NFL can be.
Normally, the Steelers would have kept Fautanu, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2024 draft, at left tackle. But Dan Moore Jr., a four-year starter, was incapable of sliding to the right side.
And when Moore signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2025, the Steelers moved Broderick Jones, their first-round pick in 2023, to left tackle.
Versatility in the NFL can be a blessing and a curse. Jones and Fautanu have the ability to play on either side of the line and have gone back and forth over the course of their careers.
When Jones suffered a season-ending neck injury last November — an issue that lingered deep into the 2026 offseason — the Steelers’ new coaching staff decided to move Fautanu to the left side in the spring.
The move can be challenging for even the most gifted athletes because of the number of moving parts involved. An often overlooked but integral part of the switch is the added mental strain of retraining the brain.
“The first thing is flipping everything in your mind with the play calls because it all starts in the huddle,” Fautanu said.
Then there is the obvious physical aspect of readjusting upper- and lower-body movements. It’s taken months of hard work for Fautanu to relearn his craft.
There was a time when offensive line coaches only had to worry about retraining the footwork, but many college line coaches are now teaching one-handed punches in pass protection rather than the traditional two-handed punch that had been a staple of the old school.
Fautanu, for example, was introduced to the one-handed punch when Kalen DeBoer took over at Washington in the middle of Fautanu’s college career. Fautanu now employs both punches in his arsenal, which can be an advantage, but it also adds another layer to the transition of switching sides.
“You obviously take so many reps doing certain hand combinations being on the right side,” Fautanu said. “So you have to flip that or get more comfortable doing it a different way. ... Switching to right with the Steelers was actually a little bit easier for me because a lot of the bad habits I developed at left tackle at Washington were gone.”
Now, Fautanu is trying to relearn old tricks on the fly with the health of his aging quarterback — and likely his team’s playoff chances — in his hands.
“Being back at left, I know what it looks like and I’m getting more confident in my hands. Now I’m even more confident in my left hand,” he said. “These are things, throughout the offseason — even in games — you’re working on.”
He continued: “Obviously, I wanted to be in midseason form, but personally I knew it’s an unrealistic thing. But I do feel myself getting better every game. I really feel I’m in a way better place than when I was in Week 1.”
It’s a big season for Fautanu. The Steelers must decide in May if they are going to exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. The Steelers have not picked up the option on any of their first-round picks since T.J. Watt six years ago.
Watt is also the last Steelers top pick to earn All-Pro recognition. Fautanu has the best chance of any of the recent selections to achieve that status someday.
“I 100% think I can get there,” Fautanu said. “I’m a firm believer in my ability. The coaches put me in position to go out and do that. The confidence comes from me putting all the reps in. I worked my ass off this offseason. I’m taking my wins and I’m going to keep stacking them. It’s a long season. You have to keep trending up.”
First Published: October 21, 2026, 1:00 a.m.