The NFL just put a massive chip on the shoulder of Steelers’ offensive starter heading into a pivotal year three in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers have an offensive line that is poised to be a problem for years to come. But whether it’s age or inexperience, the Steelers aren’t getting the credit they deserve up front, and certainly not at offensive tackle.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler released his polled top 10 offensive tackle rankings over the weekend, and Pittsburgh Steelers starting tackle Troy Fautanu was nowhere to be found. Not in the top 10. Not as an honorable mention. He didn’t receive a single vote. For a player who played lights out for nearly the entire 2025 season, the omission is difficult to understand.
Fowler’s rankings were compiled by polling NFL executives, coaches, and scouts around the league. The list featured the usual names you’d expect at the position, but Fautanu’s absence stood out like a sore thumb. Pittsburgh has a legitimate franchise tackle on its roster, and the league apparently hasn’t caught on yet.
Key Takeaways
- 3 sacks allowed.
- 31 quarterback pressures.
- 3 penalties.
Fautanu’s 2025 season deserves more respect
The truth is, Fautanu was dominant for the vast majority of last season. After missing most of his rookie campaign with a knee injury, he returned in 2025 and locked down the right side of the Steelers’ offensive line. He was rarely mentioned during broadcasts through the preseason and regular season, and in this case, that’s a compliment. Offensive tackles don’t get talked about when they’re doing their job.
The one game where Fautanu struggled was the wild card matchup against the Houston Texans, where he drew Danielle Hunter. That’s a pass rusher making north of $40 million a year and one of the best in the league. The entire Pittsburgh offense had trouble in that game. Singling out Fautanu for one rough outing against an elite rusher while ignoring the body of work that preceded it doesn’t hold up.
The move to left tackle should only help
Fautanu is expected to slide over to left tackle ahead of the 2026 season, and that’s the position he was drafted to play. He starred on the left side at the University of Washington before the Steelers selected him, and a return to his natural spot should only make him more comfortable. The right side was never supposed to be his permanent home. It was a stopgap based on roster need, and he still thrived there.
So the immediate question becomes: what does it take for the rest of the league to notice? Fautanu checked every box last season outside of one playoff game against a top-tier defense. If the standard for making a top 10 list requires zero difficult outings across an entire season, the bar is unreasonable.
The NFL will learn in 2026
The tape supports it. The production supports it. The positional versatility supports it. For him to not receive a single vote in a league-wide poll tells me this is a case of limited national exposure more than limited ability. Pittsburgh doesn’t always get the spotlight on its offensive linemen, and Fautanu’s rookie-year absence from the field didn’t help his visibility.
That should change. If Fautanu plays at left tackle in 2026 the way he played at right tackle in 2025, the league won’t be able to ignore him any longer. Pittsburgh knows what it has, even if the rest of the NFL hasn’t figured it out yet.