3 reasons Zach Banner won’t be an improvement at RT for Steelers

Zach Banner Pittsburgh Steelers (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Zach Banner Pittsburgh Steelers (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /
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Chukwuma Okorafor #76 of the Pittsburgh Steelers (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Okorafor has significantly more experience and room to improve

By no means I’m I implying that Chukwuma Okorafor is a good NFL tackle or that he’s going to ever turn things around. However, when comparing Okorafor to Banner, there’s probably more reason to believe that he has room to improve than Banner.

Though we haven’t seen a ton of progress now into his fourth NFL season, Okorafor didn’t start playing football at an early age like most NFL players do, he’s three-and-a-half years younger than Banner, and a significantly better athlete with more foot quickness.

While Okorafor hasn’t given us any reason to believe he should be a long-time starter, Banner comes with even more question marks and less upside. The mammoth offensive tackle has already been on three NFL teams since entering the league back in 2017 and has dressed for just 22 games over the past four years. During that time, he has earned a grand total of 2 NFL starts, according to Pro Football Reference.

Because the Steelers paid good money to retain Banner on a two-year deal this offseason, it’s likely he takes Okorafor’s place when he’s fully healthy and ready to go, but considering his history as a journeyman who has bounced around the league, it’s probably unwise to assume that he has more upside and room to grow than Okorafor.