Steelers avoid worst-case scenario involving first-round pick Troy Fautanu

Injuries are part of football. It's a tough reality that has become more apparent as the athletes have gotten bigger and faster over the years. They're just able to move around with such force that sometimes, the body just can't handle that kind of force and power, causing things to tear, sprain and break.

But there's really not much more heartbreaking in the injury world than a preseason injury. Most of the time, players are battling for playing time or a spot in the NFL in general in the preseason, so an injury could result in a player getting cut before the season.

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, they seemed to come out of their first preseason game with very minimal injuries. Of course, players received the typical bumps and bruises of a football game. But it seemed as if nobody had suffered a serious injury.

That was the case, until reports came out that Steelers first round pick Troy Fautanu had injured his knee, which was wrapped in ice.

Steelers first round Troy Fautanupick suffers MCL sprain in first preseason game

Steelers fans collectively held their breath over the last 24 hours as everybody waited for news to break about their top selection from the 2024 NFL Draft. On Saturday afternoon, they got that answer and they can finally let out a collective sigh of relief.

The diagnosis for Fautanu is a minor MCL sprain, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. There is no word on how much time Fautanu could miss, but the belief is it's not a serious injury.

Fautanu wasn't expected to start right away and he's looked streaky in pass protection for the course of the preseason. According to Pro Football Focus, Fautanu allowed two pressures, one quarterback hurry, and one sack in 12 pass-blocking snaps in his preseason debut against the Houston Texans. But he's still a great talent with a ton of potential for the future. In an ideal world, Fautanu and Broderick Jones will be the Steelers starting tackles for the next decade.

We will have to continue to wait for that to be the case though. The preseason was going to be Fautanu's opportunity to prove that he belonged in the starting 11 on offense. For rookies, the preseason is incredibly important in getting their feet wet, feeling out the speed of the game, and adjusting themselves to their new reality of football.

As for Fautanu, we'll have to wait and see how much time the rookie will miss, if at all, after suffering the minor MCL sprain.