Steelers Are Expected To Make Major Offensive Line Shift "Seamlessly"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to make some big decisions on the offensive line throughout the offseason and into training camp. Despite all the draft capital invested into that area in recent years, there are still a bunch of questions that need to be answered. Using a first-round pick on Max Iheanachor does not answer many of those questions much, as he is not expected to be a Week 1 starter. However, his presence and development could still urge the team to make some other decisions as time goes on and more reps are taken. 

One of those questions is about right tackle Troy Fautanu, who had an overall excellent 2025 season. He managed to establish himself as a premier lineman in the league. The problem is that Iheanachor primarily played right tackle in college. To deal with that, the Steelers will likely try and make the 2024 first-rounder switch to blindside blocker. Guard is also an option, but highly unlikely at this point.

In his weekly Q&A chat, insider Ray Fittipaldo was asked about this plan, and he explained the Steelers' mindset on the whole situation.

"They'll only move Fautanu if they believe he can handle the switch to the left side," Fittipaldo said. "I think he can do it seamlessly. He's that good with his footwork. Going from right to left should not be a big deal for him. Sometimes this happens in the NFL. You have plans, the plans change because of injury or a player not playing up to his potential. Then you have to start over or retool a bit. That's what the Steelers are doing now."

Fittipaldo also mentioned that the Steelers have started experimenting with moving players around at different positions during the first practices of the offseason that took place back in April. That likely included Fautanu trying out at left tackle, as the Steelers want to see how well he can play there for whenever Iheanachor is ready to start. It's to be determined if he can do it as seamlessly as Fittipaldo believes. 

Fautanu did play left tackle in college, but he was not the blindside blocker there due to his quarterback being left-handed. Still, he should be able to switch sides and remember the mechanics of playing on that side. He will have a bit more pressure to play well due to him being on the blindside, but he should be able to handle it well based on how well he has handled himself up to this point.

Steelers Are Still Loaded With Questions

As mentioned before, Iheanachor is not expected to start at right tackle in Week 1. While Fautanu will get plenty of reps at left tackle in practice, the question then becomes if he will start there and force someone like Dylan Cook to then also switch sides. If not, he may have to go back to practicing exclusively at right tackle until the rookie is ready to play and then make an immediate switch. 

The story around Iheanachor is that he is a raw prospect with tons of upside. With how raw he is and how much the Steelers value positional flexibility, they may try to have him develop at left tackle instead while keeping Fautanu on the right side. At the very least, he can take reps at both sides and be the primary backup on either end if the starter gets hurt.

The good news for the Steelers is that they have a ton of time to figure out exactly what they want to do with their offensive tackles. No matter what, players will be taking first- and second-team reps at very unfamiliar positions until the coaches settle on what they believe is the best five-man combination to roll with during the season.

What do you think about Fautanu being able to switch sides seamlessly to make room for Iheanachor whenever he's ready? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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