Which big Steelers IR loss will impact the team the most to begin the season?

The Pittsburgh Steelers recently send several players to injured reserve. Which big loss will impact the team the most to begin the 2021 season? 

After some careful thought and consideration, the Steelers recently were able to get their roster down to just 53 players before the cutdown deadline on August 31st. However, these weren’t the only big decisions they had to make.

Following cuts, Pittsburgh placed three players on injured reserve: defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt, right tackle, Zach Banner, and running back Anthony McFarland. With the COVID-19 rules carrying over from 2020, these players must remain on IR for a minimum of 3 weeks before being reactivated.

While McFarland landing on IR was a surprise, we knew there were some bigger issues with Tuitt and Banner. Tuitt tragically lost his younger brother in a hit-and-run incident this summer, but the fact that he never returned to practice with the team through the entirety of training camp had many wondering if there was also a significant injury with him.

Banner, on the other hand, worked with the offense in limited fashion near the end of training camp but saw just 12 snaps all preseason. We don’t know the severity of his injury at this point.

In their place, the Steelers brought back OG Rashaad Coward, OG/C B.J. Finney, and CB Arthur Maulet. Unfortunately, these injuries raise many questions with the regular-season kickoff against the Buffalo Bills on the horizon.

Which loss will be biggest for Steelers to begin the season?

Stephon Tuitt was phenomenal for the Steelers in 2020. After dealing with injuries for much of his NFL career, the big defensive lineman was finally healthy, and it certainly showed. He posted personal bests in sacks, tackles for a loss, and quarterback hits last season.

Meanwhile, Zach Banner finds himself back on IR after spending 15 games there last season. His health is becoming a major concern at this point. We still don’t know exactly what has caused Anthony McFarland to earn this designation.

Of the three, there’s no question in my mind that Tuitt is the best player among them. However, I would argue that the loss of Zach Banner is arguably even bigger for the Steelers to begin the 2021 season.

Banner has won the right tackle job for the Steelers each of the past two seasons, and Pittsburgh paid him good money this past offseason to return to this role in 2021. While we have only seen Banner start two games by the age of 27, the coaching staff seemed to have a great deal of confidence in him this year.

In his stead, it appears that Chukwuma Okorafor will kick back over to the right side of the formation this year – a position he really struggled with in 2020. This could hurt the Steelers in the run game, as Okorafor really struggled to get any type of push when run blocking at the right tackle position last season.

It’s also a bit concerning knowing that a fourth-round rookie is likely going to be responsible for protecting Ben Roethlisberger’s blindside. Though I thought Dan Moore Jr. had a good camp and an impressive preseason overall, this is a tall task for a highly-touted first-round pick, let alone a day-three prospect making the NFL jump.

On the defensive line, Pittsburgh will be able to manage the loss of Tuitt more easily. Chris Wormley is a solid football who had a great summer. He will slide in as the starter in Tuitt’s place. Meanwhile, the Steelers could have a healthy rotation of fresh players coming onto the field like Henry Mondeaux, Isaiah Buggs, Carlos Davis, and rookie Isaiahh Loudermilk.

Nobody ever wants to see players land on injured reserve, and it’s never good to lose two starting trench players who can win at the point of attack. Let’s hope the Steelers can weather the storm without them and all three players can return to the lineup soon.