Steelers Get Injury Timeline for Troy Fautanu
![Jul 28, 2024; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu (76) participates in drills during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports Jul 28, 2024; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu (76) participates in drills during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_8105,h_4559,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_steelers/01j51fk20zgcfwh8gatx.jpg)
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu suffered an injury in the preseason opener against the Houston Texans Friday night at Acrisure Stadium, leading fans to fear the worst.
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Fautanu will miss just two weeks from that injury against the Texans, which was a knee injury. This keeps Fautanu on track to miss just the preseason and come ready for the opening game of the season against the Atlanta Falcons on the road on Sept. 8.
Rookie Troy Fautanu is expected to be out two weeks with knee injury sustained Friday night. He is ok.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) August 11, 2024
The Steelers took Fautanu with the No. 20 overall pick out of Washington in the 2024 NFL Draft. This made it back-to-back seasons they drafted an offensive tackle, as they selected Broderick Jones out of Georgia at No. 14 in 2023, looking to bolster their offensive line.
Fautanu came out of Henderson High School in Henderson, Nev., near Las Vegas, as a three-star offensive tackle in the Class of 2019 for the Huskies.
He would redshirt in the 2019 season and then appeared in four games in the COVID-19 impacted 2020 season. He saw his first real action in 2021, playing in nine games and starting three times.
His season that made a big difference for him came in 2022, starting all 13 games and earning Second Team Pac-12 honors. He also earned Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week honors for his performance against Michigan State in Week 3, resulting in a 39-28 win at home.
Fautanu improved in 2023, starting all 15 games at left tackle and helping Washington make the National Title game, where they lost to Michigan. He earned First Team All-Pac 12 and All-America Third Team (Associated Press) honors, the Morris Trophy for best offensive lineman in the Pac-12 and also the Joe Moore Award, recognizing the best offensive line unit in the country.
He is one of 16 players that the Steelers drafted out of Washington and the second First Round pick, joining tight end Mark Bruener at No. 27 overall in 1995. This also includes linebacker Travis Feeney in the Sixth Round in 2016 and defensive tackle Ta'amu Alameda in the Fourth Round in 2012 in the 21st century.