Troy Fautanu ‘tweaks’ injury, leaves Steelers practice, perhaps re-opens RT for Broderick Jones

Troy Fautanu’s tenure as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting right tackle might be halted after less than a week.

Fautanu left Friday’s practice because of a knee injury that Broderick Jones referenced as “a little tweak.” Five days after Jones lost his starting job to Fautanu and then was pulled in-game from a series while rotating in for him, Jones confirmed he was taking first-team reps by the end of Friday’s practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

Fautanu was given a designation of “questionable” on the league-mandated injury report ahead of the Steelers’ home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

“After he gets the MRI and stuff, we’ll just figure out what’s going on from there,” Jones said after practice. “And then the coach is going to make the decision at the end of the day.”

The Steelers’ first-round pick, Fautanu was on track to make his second career start Sunday. If he cannot go, Jones would re-claim the starting right tackle spot he held over the final 10 games as a rookie last season and in this season’s opener while Fautanu recovered from an MCL sprain in his left knee.

There was no immediate word on if what happened to Fautanu on Friday was related to that ailment, which was suffered during the Steelers’ preseason opener Aug. 9.

“We’ve got two days (before a game), and he’s got a day break to rest,” Jones said of Fautanu.

Friday’s development is a stunning turn in the early-season injury-related turmoil along the Steelers offensive line. First-team center Nate Herbig suffered a season-ending injury during training camp, and veteran starting left guard Isaac Seumalo has missed the past three weeks of practice and games because of a pectoral injury.

Jones — last year’s first-round pick — getting benched added another layer to the drama late last week. And when coach Mike Tomlin tried to rotate Jones in for some work during Sunday’s win at the Denver Broncos, that plan quickly was abandoned once Jones committed three penalties over a six-snap, second-quarter span after which Tomlin yanked him from the game.

“I feel like I got better this week during practice for the most part,” Jones said. “I’ve just got to continue to just stay upright because it’s a long season, and we’re always trying to just take care of the body as much as possible. Then, just being available.”

It was just Thursday when Jones was accountable while answering questions about his benching, acknowledging Fautanu had been judged the better option, and that, if that was so, Fautanu should play. But he also said he believed the Steelers still very much viewed him as part of their future.

Tomlin this week said Jones would be given an opportunity to show that he deserved to re-enter the starting lineup. Though few could have predicted the circumstance, that opportunity might have come very quickly.

Jones was asked if that made him eager to redeem himself after the humiliating sequence of events of last weekend.

“I really don’t care what people think,” Jones said. “At the end of the day, I‘ve got to go out there and do my job to the best of my ability.”