Former Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner has his first NFL workout since he suffered a serious knee injury while playing with the Steelers in 2020 according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. Banner will work out for the New York Jets. The winner of the right tackle job that year, Banner was injured in his very first start as a member of the Steelers and never got a chance to really rebound from there as his knee continued to act up.
Banner, 29, is not retired, and despite missing the Steelers and Pittsburgh, is looking for an opportunity in the league. And earlier this offseason he noted on the Steelers Crazy podcast that he wanted to play in the NFL still and was working on actively making it back into the NFL.
“I’m definitely at the later stages of my rehab, recovery, and comeback,” Banner said. “In 2023, I think it’s my year. I’m ready to get signed and go work out somewhere. I want to play somewhere. You know, I’m excited man. It’s been a long journey to spend those 4 to 5 years in Pittsburgh, living there, and making it a home, there was a grieving process that I had to go through last year. That’s why I didn’t play last season for anybody.”
Now, in 2023, Banner hopes he can catch on somewhere in the NFL. He was drafted out USC in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Banner then bounced around a few places before landing in Pittsburgh in 2018. His knee is the biggest obstacle, but if he can find a team willing to give him a shot, there’s no telling what Banner could do. The Jets could be that team that could give Banner the opportunity he is seeking at this point in the offseason and process.
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