Steelers Now
Steelers 2024 first-round offensive tackle Troy Fautanu spoke to the media about his knee injury recovery that cut his rookie season short.
**PITTSBURGH–**In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu. Unfortunately, a freak injury in practice before week three cut his season short. On Wednesday, Fautanu reflected on the up and down season.
After being selected, the former four-star recruit was highly anticipated to contribute early. The first-round pick was expected to compete with Broderick Jones and recently departed Dan Moore Jr. However, a knee injury during game preparation cut things short.
“The recovery was like four to six months,” Fautanu said of his season-ending injury. He had described the knee injury as a dislocated knee cap with an MCL tear.
Hopeful to recover in time to play in 2024, the Nevada native said, “Obviously it didn’t happen.”
It was a devastating blow to a promising start of a rookie campaign. “There was a lot of nights where … you can’t really see the light on the other side of the tunnel,” He said of his recovery process. The recovery was grueling and tough for the 24-year-old. “I didn’t handle it the best some of the time.”
With this, Fautanu faced the challenge and did what he could to prepare for the future. “I felt like once I did lock in and really just focus on day-to-day, I really, like, turned the corner of my recovery.”
So far, it has paid off as Fautanu is soaking in the offseason work. “I’m a competitor, man. I love being out here. It feels so good to be back out here.” He said of being back on the field for OTA’s.
The offseason is still in the early stages of workouts with mini-camp and training camp on the horizon. For Troy, though, this has been a long-anticipated recovery. It is likely he will play right tackle as he did last season.
Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Fautanu Reflects on Highs and Lows of Limited Rookie Year
