Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will use practice week to see who is available on offensive line

Even with veteran left guard Isaac Seumalo missing the season opener because of a pectoral strain, coach Mike Tomlin is confident about which players will start on the interior of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line Sunday.

Rookie center Zach Frazier will be flanked by guards Spencer Anderson — who replaces Seumalo — and James Daniels when the Steelers face the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

As for who will line up at the two tackle spots, that gets a little trickier.

Dan Moore Jr. has spent the entire preseason taking first-team snaps at left tackle, the spot he has held for the past three seasons. And Broderick Jones remains the first-team right tackle, the position where he started the final 10 games of the 2023 season.

But rookie first-round draft pick Troy Fautanu could alter the makeup of the tackle spots if he progresses sufficiently from a knee injury he sustained in the first half of the preseason opener. Tomlin admitted Tuesday at his season-opening news conference that Fautanu could be in the mix to start at right tackle, a move that could send Jones back to the left side or to the bench.

Tomlin said he will let the next three days of practice determine the configuration of his tackle spots.

“We’ll determine that as we get closer to game time,” Tomlin said.

It’s not an ideal situation for a coach to have so much of his offensive line in flux five days before the season opener, but that is where Tomlin finds himself after a rash of injuries hit the line since training camp opened in late July.

First-team center Nate Herbig sustained a season-ending shoulder injury, Jones hurt his elbow early in camp and has worn a protective brace in practice ever since and Fautanu hurt his knee against Houston. Then, Seumalo injured his pectoral muscle in practice last Wednesday before the players headed into a four-day break.

That the Steelers did not place Seumalo on injured reserve, which would keep him out at least four weeks, is a sign they don’t think he will be out that long.

“We can characterize it as week-to-week, and we’ll see where next week leads us,” Tomlin said. “We’re really optimistic about his return sooner rather than later.”

Fautanu was a partial participant in practice Monday and is expected to take on a heavier workload as the week progresses.

“The closer he gets to health, we’ll have a better reflection of how we might divvy that up,” Tomlin said. “The first two guys (Moore and Jones) will be participants. Anderson has played tackle as well. Those are the candidates, and what the mix is will be determined by how we distribute reps and how they do with the reps they are given.”

If Fautanu gets a clean bill of health, he could join Frazier and Anderson as first-time starters on the offensive line.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys in there,” Tomlin said, “a lot of meat on that growth bone. We’ve seen a lot of it. We’ve had some young guys drafted high that have shown the NFL is not too big for them.”

Barring a change at left tackle, Moore will have two inexperienced players lined up to his right: Anderson and Frazier, the second-round pick from West Virginia. Daniels will line up in between Frazier and either Jones, who is entering his first full season as a starter, or Fautanu.

“They are going to have to make their plays,” Tomlin said about the young starters. “Dan is not going to block two people. … They will be capable of doing their assignments and blocking their people.”

Drafted in 2023 as a left tackle, Jones replaced the benched Chuks Okorafor on the right side in mid-season. Jones has worked exclusively at right tackle since Fautanu’s injury, but he has worn a protective brace on his elbow since the first day of training camp and struggled in the second preseason game.

“I’ve made no determinations regarding that,” Tomlin said when asked where Jones fits best on the offensive line given its current state. “Obviously, he has worked a lot at right. We’ll continue to watch that as we progress throughout the week. His versatility has been an asset for him and for us.”

Moore, on the other hand, has no such versatility, saying he doesn’t feel comfortable or confident at right tackle. The Steelers used two first-round draft picks on tackle in Jones and Fautanu, yet Moore continues to hold down the starting left tackle spot.

At least for now.

“That is professional football,” Tomlin said. “We’re continually trying to replace people, and people better be continually getting better to sustain and grow. That is reflective of his approach and what has happened with him. He’s gotten better continually. He’s gotten snap opportunities, and his experience is a significant component of his ‘get better.’ ”