Steelers inside the ropes: 1st-rounder Troy Fautanu gets 1st chance at some reps with 1st teamers

It was just a taste, and it might perhaps have been done only out of necessity following a minor injury. But the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick got his first taste of first-team reps.

Troy Fautanu ran at right tackle with the offensive starters at various points during Sunday’s training-camp practice at Saint Vincent. Fautanu, who had spent the first three days of camp as the No. 2 right tackle, played in lieu of Broderick Jones – who happens to be last year’s first-round pick.

Jones at one point appeared to be standing and moving gingerly with a grimace on his face. Coach Mike Tomlin did not mention an injury to Jones in his remarks after practice, but Jones was in and out of reps. It is feasible any ailment was too minor to need to be referenced.

When Jones was not on the field with the rest of the starting offense, left tackle Dan Moore Jr. remained at left tackle. Steelers management has been open that Jones ultimately will play left tackle at some point. The consensus among the draft community around Fautanu was that he could make a better longterm right tackle.

Steelers WR Dez Fitzpatrick had a clean drop on one of the final team reps of practice Sunday.

Soon as it was over, he immediately went to the JUGS machine to catch dozens of balls. pic.twitter.com/6Cm3oQD7ZX

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) July 28, 2024

• Fautanu wasn’t the only rookie to get first-team action Sunday, the final practice before the first idle day of camp in advance of the pads coming out for the first time Tuesday. Third-round receiver Roman Wilson was out for the first snap of the two-point conversion simulation “Seven Shots” early in practice. Third-round linebacker Payton Wilson and fourth-round guard Mason McCormick also, at times, ran with the first team.
• Of course, it is an undrafted player who has been atop his positional depth chart from the very beginning of camp. That didn’t change Sunday. If anything, Beanie Bishop is as entrenched as ever as the starting nickel/slot. The only occasions in which Bishop is not part of the first team defense are when coaches counter offensive personnel to run either 3-4 base or a package when safety DeShon Elliott moves to the slot and Damonte Kazee enters to play safety. Aside from those circumstances, it has been all Bishop all day in the slot for four consecutive practices at Saint Vincent.
• The offense enthusiastically celebrated its first “Seven Shots” win of this camp. After most of the six snaps in which it prevailed, offensive players expressed more passionate approval than what is typical – and, when they walked away with the victory, the celebration was more noticeable than usual. The defense won, 6-1, Saturday and, though the score Friday was 4-3, the first-team defense beat the first-team offense four of five snaps.
• The offense might have been desperate enough to win that it defied convention by scoring three times via running plays. While not “banned,” per se, usually on days in which the team is not in full pads it is rare that run plays are called. The rushing “scores” Sunday were on draw plays by Najee Harris on the first snap, a called QB sweep by Justin Fields and a draw play on the final snap in which backup running back La’Mical Perine dove to get the goal line.
• The successful passing plays were Fields to a diving Scotty Miller on a well-targeted low throw in traffic and when Kyle Allen fired early to avoid a blitz and hit Marquez Callaway in the back left corner of the end zone. The lone win for the defense was when Fields attempted a timing throw to George Pickens in the right corner of the end zone, but the ball fell incomplete far from Pickens, who motioned for a flag as he couldn’t get past traffic in the form of Joey Porter Jr. and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
• Callaway also had what was probably the longest gain of the day on a reception, a catch from Allen in which he weaved through the secondary.
• The first 11-on-11 from midfield began hot for Fields, who hit Pickens on a slant over the middle with a nice pass that led to a big gain.
• But, after that, the period quickly deteriorated for Fields. He threw the first interception of camp by any quarterback in a team-drill setting when a ball that was nowhere near an intended receiver was caught by Donte Jackson. Two snaps later, Fields, in a real game, might have been sacked by a blitzing Elliott. But he dumped it off to running back Jaylen Warren for what ended up a nice gain. On the next play, though, Elliott again looked to have an easier “sack.” This time, Fields threw downfield, and a pass intended for Wilson was almost intercepted.
• Tight end MyCole Pruitt had the prettiest reception of the day, reaching up over Kazee while running to reel in a crisp pass from Fields about 15 yards downfield.