The Pittsburgh Steelers have now re-signed another one of their own players that was set to become an unrestricted free agent on March 17 and this time it is tackle Zach Banner. He announced on Twitter Tuesday that he has re-signed.
Banner, a former fourth-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts, won the starting right tackle spot in training camp in 2020 as he beat out fellow tackle Chukwuma Okorafor for the job.
Unfortunately for Banner, he didn’t even make through the Steelers first regular season game of 2020 as he tore the ACL in his right knee in the second half of that contest and thus was lost for the remainder of the year.
In total, Banner played just 59 offensive snaps in 2020 and four more on special teams. Banner’s knee injury should be fully recovered come the start of NFL training camps. Banner probably best fits as a right tackle with the Steelers and should that be the case and should he ultimately be re-signed, Okorafor would likely flip over to left tackle spot, if the team doesn’t re-sign Alejandro Villanueva.
The Steelers lost offensive lineman Matt Feiler in free agency to the Los Angeles Chargers, so they are likely to draft a tackle this offseason as well. Last year Banner played on a one-year deal worth $1.75 million. According to Aditi Kinkhabwala, it’s a two-year, $9.5 million contract for Banner that includes a $3.25 million signing bonus.
