If you are like me, you have heard the following statement before when talking about how the Pittsburgh Steelers like to handle their rookies, as it pertains to starting.

“Don’t expect much from the rookies out of the gate, the Steelers like to ease them into the lineup.”

For the most part, this is true, and 2023 was a great example of how they typically like to handle rookies. 1st Round pick Broderick Jones didn’t take over a starting role until Week 9 of the regular season, the 8th game of the season. Joey Porter Jr., the 2nd Round pick, also wasn’t inserted into the lineup right away, and followed a similar timeline to Jones. Keeanu Benton, the other 2nd Round pick from the 2023 class, was used as a spot player throughout the year, never being given a huge workload to carry.

2023 is just one example of the Steelers’ typical plan for their rookies, but 2024 is shaping up to be anything but typical in this regard.

After speaking to our source inside the Steelers organization, the Steelers are ready and willing to have rookies start along the offensive line this season.

When talking about Troy Fautanu, his battle might not be with Dan Moore in a one-on-one situation, but if Fautanu is capable early, the Steelers are more than ready to allow him the chance to take the right tackle job in Week 1. In doing so, the Steelers would allow Jones, who is the same age as Fautanu, to move to his more natural left tackle position.

The other position being center, and this will pit Nate Herbig vs. Zach Frazier. Herbig does have experience as a center at the NFL level, but that sample size is small. Frazier, on the other hand, has plenty of experience, but has to get acclimated quickly to life in the NFL. If Frazier, like Fautanu, can prove that, he’ll be handed the job.

The difference between a player like Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu/Zach Frazier is the amount of experience the 2024 duo have. Jones entered the NFL after one real season of starting, and was deemed extremely raw. Fautanu and Frazier enter the NFL with loads of experience under their belt, and are more polished after leaving college.

This doesn’t mean the jobs will be handed the the rookies, but the Steelers typical usage of rookies might be atypical in 2024.

To hear more about this, check out the STEELERS SOURCE podcast in the player below this article, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as training camp gets underway.