Steelers Practice Report: Fautanu Moves Up, Minkah Back to Form
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting settled in for their second week of OTAs at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, and Alan Saunders and Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now were there to break it down. Week 2 of OTAs means that some of the younger players, including first-round Troy Fautanu, will start to see some expanded roles as vets come and go, and are asked to step aside so the team can get a look at their depth options.
One of those places is at right tackle, where Fautanu was moved up to the first team on Tuesday to work alongside James Daniels. The Steelers have worked all kinds of permutations on the offensive line so far, with Broderick Jones playing both sides, and Fautanu expecting to, but getting true first-team reps is a sign that the Steelers have faith in their first-round pick’s readiness.
On defense, while many veterans are taking a backseat at this point in the calendar, the starting safety duo of Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott are still working hard together, hoping to gain the chemistry that could unlock the All-Pro potential in Fitzpatrick that never got realized in 2023 due to his injuries and a rotating cast of characters beside him.
Additionally, Nick talked to MyCole Pruitt, Spencer Anderson and Isaac Seumalo about the new offensive scheme run by offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and how the installation of it is going. Alan grabbed Seumalo and Russell Wilson to talk about the NFLPA proposal to move OTAs to later in the summer, giving players a more continuous offseason of breaks and work period.
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