Steelers Now
The growth of second-year offensive tackle Troy Fautanu has been a steady bright spot for the Pittsburgh Steelers through seven games of the 2025 season.
After being drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Washington and missing almost his entire rookie season with a pair of knee injuries, Fautanu has quickly adjusted to the physical demands and technical precision of the NFL, while starting at right tackle this season.
Coaches have praised his consistency and attention to detail in practice, and his improved footwork and hand placement have started to show up on game days. As the Steelers continue to solidify their offensive line, Fautanu’s development is becoming a key factor in the unit’s overall progress.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is happy with Fautanu’s growth so far this season, especially with the chemistry being built up front. Smith said the growth of Fautanu and right guard Mason McCormick has helped the offense, especially the run game.
“What I’ve seen a lot of times on lines and good lines is they build, they almost create their own language,” Smith said. “It’s like they know how just by certain movements what the guy is thinking. That’s what you want
and that’s cool to watch that growth and development for all those guys, especially the young four guys we got.”
After missing his rookie season to injury, and the Steelers rotating through a plethora of different starting offensive lines in 2024, Fautanu is starting to build a chemistry with McCormick, a fellow second-year lineman beside him at guard — a chemistry of they hope to build on and be able to anchor the right side of the Steelers offensive line for years to come.
“I feel like it’s just constantly keep getting better every game, that’s obviously the goal every single day in practice,” Fautanu said. “Trying to find something to work on and I feel like in the games just translates, so just gotta continue to keep working in that way.”
As the season progresses, Fautanu has been doing exactly that, as the Steelers pass protection has been exceptional for the past three weeks and the run game has been steadily improving all season. Over the first three games of the 2025 season, the Steelers averaged 2.8 yards per carry on the ground. Since then, Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell and company have averaged a full five yards per rush attempt. Aaron Rodgers was sacked seven times in the first two weeks of the season, and has been sacked just five times over the last vie weeks.
Fautanu said the work the team has done in practice has been paying off in games: “pass pro, run blocking, finishing blocks, just everything.”
For Fautanu, it’s not about perfection, but progression, and each week, his growth is helping define the Steelers’ identity up front. Fautanu’s rapid growth and steady mindset embody exactly what the Steelers envisioned when they drafted him, a foundational piece capable of shaping the team’s identity...
