Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner, who last played in the NFL in 2021, worked out for the Chicago Bears on Thursday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
The 31-year-old Banner’s career paused after suffering a torn MCL during the Steelers’ 2020 Week 1 game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Banner missed the rest of the Covid-stricken season only to reinjure the knee during training camp in 2021.
After a six-week stint on the IR, Banner saw his fortunes decline. He played limited snaps during the 2021 season. The Steelers released Banner in March 2022. No team offered him an NFL contract, though his attempt at a comeback should not be a shocker.
In 2023, Banner announced his desire to play NFL football on X. Banner worked out for the New York Jets on Aug. 14, 2023, but he was not signed.
Banner played for the Houston Roughnecks of the UFL this spring, and revealed on X that he lost over 70 pounds since restarting his football career.
“I am DOWN 70lbs+… My biggest reminder is not my clothes… Or how my body feels on or off the field… It’s how easy that seat belt buckled on this flight I just boarded… More work to do tho…,” Banner wrote on X on Wednesday.
I am DOWN 70lbs+…
My biggest reminder is not my clothes…
Or how my body feels on or off the field…It’s how easy that seat belt buckled on this flight I just boarded…
More work to do tho…
— Zach Banner (@ZBNFL) September 3, 2025
Banner was a cult hero in his short time as a regular with the Steelers. A fourth round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2017, Banner struggled with his weight and conditioning and was released by the Colts. He bounced from Indianapolis to the Cleveland Browns to the Carolina Panthers before landing in Pittsburgh in August of 2018, well after training camp had already began.
He caught up quickly, though, and after a “redshirt” year in 2018, he carved out a role for himself as the team’s top swing tackle in 2019. That came with work as a jumbo tight end occasionally, and Banner drew cheers at Heinz Field when his No. 72 was declared eligible by the referee.
The Steelers re-signed Banner and he entered 2020 as the team’s starting right tackle, replacing Matt Feiler, who was shifted to left guard to fill in for the retiring Ramon Foster.
That stretch as starting tackle lasted just one game, as Banner suffered an ACL tear in the 2020 season opener against the Giants at Met Life Stadium.
That playing surface, which sees double duty between the Giants and New York Jets, has been roundly criticized by NFL players. The stadium replaced that surface, which was brand new at the time of Banner’s injury, with a more modern surface this offseason.
*Alan Saunders contributed reporting for this...
