Zach Banner’s first season as Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting right tackle is unfortunately already over. The 26-year-old player posted a video on social media on Tuesday in which he confirmed he is forced to undergo knee surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of 2020.
Banner, who re-signed on a one-year, $1.75 million deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason, suffered the injury in Steelers’ Week 1 win against New York Giants. According to reports, he tore his ACL midway through the fourth quarter.
“Everything’s going to be OK,” said Banner in the video. “I’m going to get over this. I’m excited about my recovery process, and I’m going to come back even stronger next season. It’s another obstacle that I’ve got to get over.”
Zach Banner, who bounced around the league in recent years, was set for his big breakthrough in 2020. He had a stellar performance in training camp and managed to easily beat Chuks Okorafor for the starting job. According to reports, this made Steelers believe that Banner could be their right tackle of the future, and were excited about his development this season.
With Banner out, Okorafor, who was Pittsburgh’s third-round pick in 2018, is expected to man the position. He played 14 games since entering the NFL and has four starts.
