The Pittsburgh Steelers need to upgrade their offensive line, but here’s why Zach Banner won’t be an improvement over Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle.
The Steelers offensive line has been arguably the worst in the league to begin the 2021 season, and it’s not hard to see why. Pittsburgh’s patchwork job in an effort to replace four departed starters this offseason was a recipe for disaster, and general manager Kevin Colbert hasn’t spent more than a 3rd round pick on the offensive line in a decade.
One player who has really struggled in the early going despite having a year of starting experience under his belt at right tackle is Chukwuma Okorafor. Recently, Zach Banner — who tore his ACL in Week 1 of the 2020 season — began practicing with the Steelers again. Many have high hopes that he could be a big upgrade over Okorafor at right tackle when he’s ready to return, but here’s why he’s unlikely to be an improvement:
Banner won’t be in football shape for Steelers
For starters, I don’t see any way that Zach Banner is going to be in ‘football shape.’ That is to say, I can’t imagine him being in a position to step into game action after being essentially a year removed from the field with very few team reps this summer.
An ACL tear is an injury that most players can recover from, and in time, I expect Banner to do the same. However, this has been a very long process. Banner entered the league at 353 pounds but is now listed at 335 pounds on the team’s official website. Still, when carrying this much weight, and playing a position that requires contact on every play, his recovery is going to be delayed.
Even given a full year following surgery, the fact that the Steelers had to place Banner on IR was a very telling sign that he’s just not ready. Even if he does return to the field soon, he might not return with the same strength and conditioning he had in 2020.