Dale Lolley

The Steelers' offensive line of, not the future, but the present took the field for the team's first OTA sessions earlier this week.

And it included Broderick Jones at left tackle and Troy Fautanu on the right side.

Having spent first-round draft picks on Jones and Fautanu in 2023 and 2024, this rendition of the Steelers' rebuilt offensive line was the plan all along.

In fact, it could have been the team's offensive line going into the 2024 season had Fautanu not suffered a knee injury in the team's preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

That injury kept Fautanu out until Week 2 of the regular season, but he had been so impressive in the first three weeks of training camp that he was immediately inserted into the starting lineup the following week at Denver.

Unfortunately, the following week, he suffered a fluke injury, a dislocated kneecap that ended his rookie season largely before it could get off the ground.

Those injuries to Fautanu had serious repercussions across the offensive line. The pre-camp plan had been to allow Fautanu to settle in at right tackle and have Jones battle Dan Moore Jr. for the starting left tackle job.

With Fautanu injured for most of the preseason, that plan was never able to get off the ground.

But Moore is now gone, having signed in the offseason as a free agent with the Titans, and the Steelers are counting on Jones and Fautanu to take the reins.

"A lot of these coaches, especially coach (Mike) Tomlin, puts an emphasis on it every single day in the team meetings with some of the slides," Fautanu said earlier this week. "It all starts up front, and that's it. That's a point of emphasis, obviously, with you guys who we have drafted and this, that and the other. But, yeah, we've got to take pride in our job, and we've got to get back to what the Steelers used to be.

"You know, that offensive line being led by pounding all them guys. So that's the standard man. That's the standard that we live up to every single day, and we'll do exactly that."

The two 24-year-old offensive tackles are very serious about their craft. Fautanu rehabbed throughout the course of the season so he would be ready to hit the field running when the Steelers opened OTA sessions earlier this week. Jones, meanwhile, dropped about 20 pounds in the offseason to be lighter on his feet on the left side of the offensive line rather than the right side, where oftentimes more power and bulk are necessary.

"I wanted to come back a little leaner because it gives me a chance to gain weight going into training camp and throughout the season instead of coming back heavy and then having to lose weight just to gain it back," Jones said this week. "It's just a hard process. So I just wanted to focus on coming back at a good enough weight to where I can maintain, but also gain if I have to."

If Fautanu and Jones can live up to the expectations put forth for them, the Steelers could be a dominant running team. Few teams in the league have a pair of young, high-pedigree offensive tackles such as the duo the Steelers have.

There are lofty expectations. But those are welcome.

"Although we are a young o-line, they put a lot of, I wouldn't say pressure is not the right word, but they just talk about it every single day," Fautanu said. "Yeah, a lot of expectation from that group of our group. So, every single day we're just showing up, and that's exactly what we've been doing since we got here."

Cam Heyward is back for his 15th season for the Steelers and, apparently, is music to the ears of Raiders' second-year offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson.

Powers-Johnson spoke with teammate Maxx Crosby recently on his podcast "The Rush," about how upset he was with giving up a sack last season to Heyward.

"I got to say, playing against Cam Heyward and giving up my first sack ever in my entire life, he didn't beat me," Powers-Johnson said. "I beat myself. I overset. He got me, and said some choice words after. I really hope he comes back for another year, that's all I'm going to say."

The Steelers and Raiders aren't scheduled to play each other again this season, so unless it happens in the postseason, Powers-Johnson won't get another potential shot at competing against Heyward again until 2026.

Thing is, Powers-Johnson might want to be careful what he asks for.

He might not feel that Heyward "beat" him, but a veteran player of Heyward's status is going to take advantage of any mistake an opposing player makes against him. And Heyward understands his craft perhaps better than any defensive tackle in the league.

Maybe Powers-Johnson doesn't consider that being beaten, but the reality is that is exactly what his mistake led to him being beaten.

Like Fautanu, 2024 third-round draft pick Roman Wilson was injured in training camp and appeared in just one game last season before getting injured again and missing the remainder of the year.

Also like Fautanu, the Steelers are counting on a lot more from the second-year wide receiver.

Wilson, who dealt with leg injuries in 2024, is back and healthy and looking to put his 2024 season behind him.

"I don't want to think too much about last year, but I definitely learned a lot and it definitely helped to shape who I am this upcoming season," Wilson said. "I just feel like I've taken care of my body to an elite level, I've been more locked in and I feel like myself. I'm ready to come out here and practice hard."

If Wilson is looking for inspiration, he needs look no further than one of his own teammates. Calvin Austin III missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury in 2022, but has been an integral part of the team the past two seasons.

"I can definitely relate to him about how tough it is to miss your first year," Austin said. "As football players, we are humans, so we see a lot of the stuff being said and we block it out. We play for each other. Roman did such a good job of blocking that noise out, working every day last year, to where this year, I just can't wait for the outside world to see what Roman can do.

"It's going to be good to see."

Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here:Apple Podcast|iHeart [email protected]

Had Wilson come out in the 2025 NFL Draft instead of a loaded 2024 wide receiver class, he likely would have been no worse than a second-round draft pick. Fautanu might have been the first offensive tackle selected in the 2025 NFL Draft had he come into the league this year instead of last.

For the Steelers, their additions are almost like getting two additional draft picks this year.

Even if the Steelers add another veteran wide receiver at some point this season, there is an expectation that the team's tight ends could wind up catching even more passes in 2025.

Last season, the first under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the position saw an uptick from the 93 targets and 52 receptions that the position had in 2003 to 121 targets and 96 receptions in 2024.

Pat Freiermuth wound up leading the team in catches with 65.

Given Smith's usage of tight ends at his previous stops, the tight ends might be even more highly utilized in 2025.

"If it's more of a role for me, then great. I'm fully capable of picking up that role, but if we add another guy, great," Freiermuth said. "Obviously, it's a long way from camp, a long way from the season. We'll see whatever people end up coming or whatever. But I'm excited about the guys we have right now."

Weather can always be a factor during the course of an NFL season. That's why it was noteworthy this week when the Steelers held their second OTA practice during a constant rain at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex's outdoor fields.

The Steelers also obviously have an indoor facility, but head coach Mike Tomlin chose to keep the team outdoors in the rain.

The rationale is that teams are forced to play in elements, so why not practice in them if you can do so safely.

It also adds a little adversity to the equation, allowing the coaching staff to see who handles less-than-ideal conditions well.

There was certainly some discomfort involved for those who were participating in the practice and watching it. But working in adverse conditions can only help the team in the long term.