Steelers Minicamp Takeaways: Troy Fautanu Impressing, T.J. Watt Changes Offseason Plan
What is going on in the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line room and T.J. Watt is taking steps to make sure he stays healthy.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers took the field at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Tuesday for their first mandatory minicamp practice. With coordinators and assistants speaking, the team was able to examine itself more deeply rather than just focus on individual players. So, what could be learned from the first day of mandatory minicamp after talking with coaches and players?
FAUTANU GROWING BY THE DAY
When talking with offensive line coach Pat Meyer, my biggest question was what made the team profile Fautanu as an immediate right tackle and, more importantly, how the first-round rookie responded to that change. Meyer seems impressed with Fautanu’s ability to adapt to his new scenery. His special gifts of athleticism and polished technique will carry him through that transition.
“I don’t think it’s been as hard for him to change and do that as it would be for other guys,” Meyer said. “To be honest with you, when I talked to the kid in the draft room, he said he felt better on the right than the left. Playing on the left was more of a college thing for him at Washington. But it was not an issue for him at all.”
I wanted to follow up with Fautanu, too. After his first practice, he thought it was ‘rough,’ and as a perfectionist, he is always hard on himself. However, the more Fautanu practices, the better he feels about his development. The speed of practice and the retention of the playbook are coming to him, so the growth is natural.
“Every day I come out here, I come out with the goal of being better than I was yesterday,” Fautanu said. “On the first day, I had to second guess everything, I wasn’t sure of myself. The biggest thing that coach Isaac Williams tells me is to play fast. That’s what they loved about my tape. You know, I can get out in space in a way that few guys can. So, I feel much better now.”
Fautanu’s growth remains one of the biggest storylines of the offseason, but the team and Fautanu seem to feel that everything is on the right track. That’s important.
HERE COMES THE RUN
Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner is one of several offensive coaches who are holdovers from the previous regime. Asked about what’s interesting about the new offense being installed by Arthur Smith this spring, Faulkner delivered a great one-liner.
“I’m the running backs coach, so what I find interesting is how much we run it,” Faulkner said. “We like to run it, so I’m excited about that.”
SITUATIONAL BALL BEGINS
One of the main differences between minicamp and OTAs is that situational football has begun to be implemented. That includes down-and-distance and two-minute drills. Pittsburgh went through its first two-minute drills of the 2024 process. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields each got a chance, and Wilson relished it.
“Two-minute is everything,” Wilson said. “That’s where you win the game. You’ve got to love the game and the excitement on the line in the fourth quarter. You’ve got to love those fourth-quarter moments. I look forward to them.”
In addition, the red zone drills become even more critical. Wilson confirmed on Tuesday that in the red zone period, he hooked up with Pat Freiermuth for a touchdown, which could be a preview of a growing connection over the last few weeks. It’s a soft reminder that football is getting much closer. And soon enough, the ‘football-like’ will become football itself.
VERSATILE PERSONNEL
If you expect the Steelers to run a lot of 12 and 13 personnel and mix in some multiple running back sets, I would say you’re in luck. On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith espoused his versatile personnel and how they can create mismatches. That means condensing a formation and spreading it out all the same, but the Steelers want to give defenses looks that will provide them with lots of trouble.
“Well, we have a lot of guys who can play in multiple spots, whether it’s our tight ends. We have some receivers who give position flexibility. I really like the depth that we got up front right now, and obviously the quarterback position – really the whole room is new, players and coaches, and it gives you a lot of options. You know, these guys, we have experience. Russ [Wilson], Justin [Fields], and even Kyle [Allen] are guys who have played meaningful snaps in this League, so it’s been it’s been fun,” Smith said.
The emphasis on tight ends in the offense is real. Last year, Smith was marred for not targeting Kyle Pitts in favor of Jonnu Smith, but there is no equivalent to Smith in the Steelers offense. Pat Freiermuth will eat up almost all of that work, with Darnell Washington taking on a prevalence in the red zone. Expect Pittsburgh to run a diverse array of personnel groupings, but the tight ends should remain near the top of the food chain in Pittsburgh.
HERBIG MORE THAN PASS RUSHER
Nick Herbig had an excellent rookie season as a pass rusher for the Steelers in 2023. He appears poised to take on an even bigger role on that front, with the team not retaining Markus Golden, who had been ahead of Herbig on the depth chart at outside linebacker.
That makes it easy to forget that when Herbig came out of Wisconsin in the 2023 NFL Draft class, many people thought he might make a better off-ball linebacker than edge rusher.
Herbig showed off some of those coverage skills at minicamp on Tuesday, breaking up a pass over the middle, and emulating the Steelers’ defensive backs’ seatbelt celebration afterward.
“Anytime I get out there to showcase what I’ve been working on, what I know I’m capable of, I’m going to put on a display,” Herbig said. “Coaches just put me into position to make plays and I try to go out there and execute.”
ADAPTING TO THE NEW KICKOFF RULES
I might venture to say there is no one else happier in the NFL than Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith about the new kickoff rules. Smith is elated for a new challenge at this stage in his career with the new rules, and he believes it will bring the kickoff return back. But more interesting? Smith has watched not only XFL tape but has taken pieces from Europe in sports such as Rugby and other sports to draw inspiration.
“That’s the talk, you know, that’s interesting. The body type in the coverage, the body type in the return, the quickness of the play, the type of returner. Again, you know, we’re all searching for answers and we’re on a path in Pittsburgh, I can tell you that. I have studied numerous plays that I have been able to find from other Leagues that are similar,” Smith said. There is nothing exactly like we’re doing it. But there are some similarities in some things. I’ve met with a lot of people that have done it. I’ve watched a lot of tape that have done it. I’m sure others have to. But those are the challenges. And some of it is going to be a challenge in practice that we go back in,and we say after we look at the tape, ‘Hey, that was good.’ ‘Hey, that looks good.’ ‘Hey, this doesn’t.’ ‘That is that that isn’t.”
Smith has some ideas that he hopes to dive into during the preseason. But he expects the Steelers to end up being ahead of the curve on the kickoff rules.
WATT FOCUSED ON STAYING HEALTHY
T.J. Watt was frustrated by the Week 18 injury that kept him out of the Steelers’ Wild Card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills last January, so he’s hyper-focused this offseason on trying to make sure that he gets his body ready for a full 17 (and hopefully more) game season.
“It’s just being smarter,” he said. “I’m not going crazy in the weight room anymore. I’m not trying to set personal records as far as max reps or max weight. It’s just about maintaining and staying healthy. That’s first and foremost, the most important thing right now is staying healthy.”
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