PITTSBURGH --Troy Fautanu’s rookie year did not go as planned. Right after ascending to the starting right tackle role, Fautanu suffered a dislocated kneecap, an injury that required surgery and ended the promising Pittsburgh Steelers rookie’s season.
After dislocating his kneecap, Fautanu tore a ligament that holds it in place. That will require surgery and will shelf Fautanu for at least three months. How the injury happened in the first place is an oddity.
Fautanu was engaged with another player and stepped in the wrong manner. He suffered the injury non-contact. Now, he is working to prevent it from happening again.
“Foot just got caught in the ground real weird,” Fautanu. “I’ve just got to continue to stay on top of it. I’m getting there. I would say that. I’m on the back end of it now, just working into live reps. But I’ve pretty much got the green light.”
According to what the Steelers have told Fautanu, he will play right tackle this season. That means Broderick Jones will switch back to left tackle. Jones was drafted to be a left tackle, and after two years of playing him at right tackle, the Steelers will flip him.
“I hadn’t played right tackle since freshman year of high school,” Fautanu said. “Playing it through OTAs last year and training camp, I started to really like it. It’s different, but a little bit easier.”
Fautanu adds he has been ready the entire time, waiting for his opportunity to start in the NFL. Now, he will get that chance to do so as long as he can stay healthy. The Steelers do not have much tackle depth, so a lot is riding on Fautanu being a breakout player.
“I feel like I walk around like I’m a second-year player,” Fautanu said. “That’s the expectation that Coach Tomlin has for me — to not go out there and expect first-year things. I expect that out of myself. I always have; I always will."
Fautanu started just one game against the Denver Broncos before suffering the season-ending injury in practice. The Steelers hope Fautanu can prove to be a cornerstone on their offensive line.