The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their starting right tackle for the season in Week 1. Here’s how losing Zach Banner will impact the team moving forward.
The Steelers may have won their first game against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, but it didn’t come without a few casualties. Starting right tackle, Zack Banner, went down with a non-contact knee injury late in the game. It was later determined that he had a torn ACL and that his 2020 season would be over:
The initial diagnosis for #Steelers RT Zach Banner is a torn ACL, source said.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 15, 2020
Banner’s face told the story. He’ll have an MRI to confirm the season-ending injury.
Fans won’t be soon to forget the despair on Banner’s face. You could tell by his expression that his injury was serious.
While this blow to the Steelers offense won’t prove to be anywhere near as big as the one Pittsburgh dealt with last year without Ben Roethlisberger, it draws legitimate cause for concern along the offensive line in 2020.
Prior to the start of the season, it was still yet to be determined who would start at right tackle between Banner and Chukwuma Okorafor. Though starting Chuks in Banner’s place may not be a significant downgrade in skill level at right tackle, it will have an impact on the whole unit in 2020.
Instead of having a reliable swing player in Okorafor (a former 3rd-round pick by the Steelers), they will either be forced to promote a player from the practice squad or sign a player to fill this void.
Currently, Pittsburgh’s offensive line should be alright – especially if David DeCastro returns to the lineup this week. This would mean that Pittsburgh’s starters from left to right would consist of Alejandro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, and Chukwuma Okoarafor.
Here’s where it gets dicey. Because both Zach Banner and guard Stefen Wisniewski suffered substantial injuries in Week 1 if an injury were to occur to any player on the offensive line, the depth gets concerning in a hurry. Currently, the Steelers do not have a swing tackle. Even when they get a player to fill this void, it’s not going to be somebody they ever want to see on the field on the offensive side of the ball. The same goes for the interior offensive line. If someone were to get hurt, Stefen Wisniewski is no longer there to slide in. Pittsburgh would likely deploy rookie Kevin Dotson and play musical chairs by sliding players around.
Losing Zach Banner isn’t the end of the season for the Steelers, and other teams have gone through much more significant injuries already. However, it makes the depth on the offensive line more than concerning. Let’s hope this unit stays healthy moving forward.