Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that some of the team's players currently on injured reserve might be close to returning to the Steelers.
Wednesday, one did, as offensive tackle Zach Banner was activated off the NFL's three-week Reserve/Injured list.
Banner was placed on the list at the start of the regular season as he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in the 2020 season opener against the Giants in East Rutherford, N.J. The Steelers now have 21 calendar days to either place him on their 53-man roster or lose him to season-ending injured reserve.
Getting Banner back would be a boost for the team's struggling offensive line. He won the right tackle job in a training camp battle with Chuks Okorafor in 2020, but was injured in the fourth quarter of the 26-16 win over the Giants.
"It was great to have him back," said rookie Dan Moore. "He's happy. He's always happy. He's always an uplifting guy whether he's out there or not."
With Banner still injured, the Steelers had to scrap their plan to have Okorafor shift over to left tackle and have Banner start the season on the right side. Because of that, Okorafor went back over to right tackle, where he started 15 games last season, and Moore, a fourth-round draft pick, was inserted as the starter at left tackle.
That gives the Steelers two rookie starters -- center Kendrick Green is the other -- on their offensive line that also includes two other new starters. And it has shown, as the team has struggled to run the ball, averaging 53 yards per game. Ben Roethlisberger also has been sacked eight times and hit 16 times.
"We're just bonding and gelling," said Moore. "We're trying to hang out outside of this to get to know each other. That way when we're on the field together, a lot of things are just second nature."
They're certainly not there yet. But getting Banner back, whenever that might be, would help.
In the meantime, Okorafor remains in concussion protocol after leaving last Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Bengals. If he cannot play this Sunday when the Steelers play the Packers in Green Bay, veteran backup Joe Haeg would be next up on the depth chart -- unless Banner is activated before that.
Banner's return leaves running back Anthony McFarland and defensive linemen Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu on injured reserve for the Steelers. McFarland is closer to returning than Tuitt or Alualu.
