Cam Heyward used one of the Steelers' last public training camp sessions to send a clear message about two players whose summers look very different. He said Dean Lowry has been making plays and singled out Troy Fautanu as a lineman with the kind of ceiling that can change a roster and, eventually, a front line.
The timing matters because the Pittsburgh Steelers are down to just three public practices before camp breaks. That means every rep now carries more weight, and Heyward's praise landed when the team is close to sorting out roles rather than just evaluating traits.
For Lowry, the compliment was part performance review, part reminder that he still has work ahead. Heyward said he likes the way Lowry is using his hands, controlling blocks and coming out of his hips quickly, while also calling him a veteran presence that is different from his own style and from Sebastian Joseph-Day. Lowry is back for his third season in Pittsburgh after a torn ACL cut short what was supposed to be a larger role before last season, and he played in 12 games with one start in 2024. He has familiarity with the coaching staff from his time with the Packers, but none of that erases the math in front of him: the defensive line room is crowded, and praise from a teammate does not hand out a roster spot.
Fautanu is on a different path, and Heyward's words were stronger. He said he really likes the young lineman, that he has the tools, and that he believes Fautanu can play any position on the offensive line and be an All-Pro at any of them. Fautanu moved to left tackle this offseason after spending his first two NFL seasons on the right side, and he has been studying Trent Williams and Lane Johnson while he learns new things to try. That kind of work now points toward a specific job: protecting Aaron Rodgers' blind side.
What makes the evaluation more than camp flattery is how direct Heyward was about Fautanu's future. He said that when he watches him compete and sees how he is crafting different things together, there is real respect there, and that he is one of those players people will be talking about later. That is not a guarantee, but it is a veteran defender putting a high-end ceiling on a player who is still in the middle of a position change.
The final stretch of camp will not settle every question, but it will narrow them. The Steelers still have three public practices left, and those sessions will be the last clean look before the team turns from evaluation to decisions. Lowry can keep forcing the issue. Fautanu can keep building the case that his move to left tackle was not just necessary, but the start of something bigger.
