Steelers first-round pick Troy Fautanu got the start at right tackle in last week’s win over the Broncos, but he may not be available for this Sunday’s game against the Chargers.
Fautanu left Friday’s practice after suffering what fellow tackle Broderick Jones called a “little tweak.” Jones didn’t specify the nature of the injury, but Fautanu dealt with an MCL sprain this summer and the Steelers list him as questionable with a knee injury.
“We really don’t know what his status is going to be,” Jones said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. “I filled in for him and then just going to roll from there after he gets his MRI and stuff, and we’ll just figure out what’s going on from there. The coach is going to make the decision at the end of the day. We got two days, he got a day and a half to rest, whatever it is. I really don’t even know what happened to him. I ain’t seen him yet, so we just figure it out and go from there.”
Jones started the opener and rotated into the lineup last Sunday as part of a planned platoon with Fautanu. Jones committed three penalties in short order, however, and got pulled, which left Fautanu to play the rest of the way.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said this week that Jones would get another opportunity and it looks like it might come sooner than expected.
