Steelers' Troy Fautanu Has 1 Big Wish For His Whole Career: "I Would Love For That To Happen"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to toy with the offensive line during the 2026 offseason program. On Day 1 of Organized Team Activities (OTAs), they completely flipped the unit. Everyone on the right side moved to that same position on the left and vice versa. There are a couple reasons for this, with the main one being that first-round rookie Max Iheanachor is primarily a right tackle, but Pittsburgh does not want to take standout lineman Troy Fautanu off the field. It is yet to be determined how well this works out. 

Part of this shift was moving guard Mason McCormick to left guard for the time being. He and Fautanu had great communication throughout the 2025 season, which led to massive improvements being made across the line as a whole. Instead of splitting them up to push rookie Gennings Dunker to the left side, the Steelers decided to keep that high level of chemistry together for now and see if it translates to the other side. 

After the first day of OTAs, Fautanu was asked about that move. From his response, he would want this to be permanent.

"I would love for that to happen," Fautanu said. "I tell him all the time, I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else."

Having Fautanu and McCormick playing with each other for the next decade would be nothing short of a massive blessing for the Steelers. The duo worked wonders together, and neither of them have even reached their ceiling. If having the former first-round pick switch sides is necessary, then putting his good friend next to him should only help him get acclimated to this new role. The same could be said for the former fourth-round pick. 

This most likely will not be the exact lineup that the Steelers will use throughout the offseason program and training camp. There is a ton of versatility with this unit, which is exactly what the team brass wants. Dunker will get some reps at both left and right guard, while Dylan Cook tries to prove himself yet again by switching from left tackle to right tackle. There are a lot of moving parts that have to get figured out by September.

Iheanachor is seen as a project, so there is a realistic chance that he is not the Week 1 starter. If that's the case, there are many questions surrounding the makeup of the starting five. If Cook struggles on the right, he could end up starting at blindside blocker while Fautanu and McCormick go back to where they played in 2025. If that happens and the first-round rookie ends up having to start, then the whole line will have to adjust again. 

The sheer amount of versatility in this position group is almost a negative. There are so many ways that the offensive line could line up and nearly every single one is completely reasonable. The Steelers don't have time to give each potential combination the time it needs to see how good of a fit it can be. The lineup from Day 1 of OTAs will likely be what they do in Week 1, but nobody knows for sure.

Steelers May Focus On Offensive Line In 2027

At some point in time, Iheanachor and Dunker are likely going to end up starting for the Steelers, and they will probably play together on the right side. Even if they don't play much in 2026, Pittsburgh could run the unit like they are there, which means Fautanu and McCormick will play on the blind side while Cook and Spencer Anderson fill in their respective roles on the right side until the rookies are ready.

What do you think about Fautanu hoping he can play with McCormick next to him throughout his entire career? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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