Tag: Zach Banner

What are the Steelers getting in OG Stefen Wisniewski?

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed guard Stefen Wisniewski on Thursday.

It’s not often a veteran gets to play for their hometown team. But Stefen Wisniewski will. The 10-year offensive lineman, who spent seasons with the Raiders, Jaguars, Eagles, and Chiefs, was signed to a two-year contract Thursday.

The Pittsburgh native played high school football at Central Catholic before attending Penn State, where he helped the Nittany Lions to runners-up in the Big Ten title as a junior. The next spring, Wisniewski switched from guard to center, and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Wisniewski was drafted with the 48th overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2011. He started all 61 games in four seasons at center for the Raiders.

After one season with the Jaguars in 2015, Wisniewski switched to left guard after signing with the Eagles. He became a Super Bowl-winning guard after Philadelphia beat New England in the 2018 Super Bowl.

After a successful three-year run with the Eagles, Wisniewski spent the past two seasons with the Chiefs, where he won his second-consecutive Super Bowl ring. The Chiefs starting LG, Wisniewski’s blocking helped score three unanswered touchdowns in the game’s final minutes of the 2019 Super Bowl. During his two-year Chiefs career, Wisniewski played in pass-blocking 131 snaps over eight games, which earned him an 80.5 grade from Pro Football Focus.

Wisniewski joins a top-ranked Steelers offensive line that is anchored by Pro Bowl center, Maurkice Pouncey, two-time All-Pro guard, David DeCastro; and two-time Pro Bowl left tackle, Alejandro Villanueva. Pittsburgh’s offensive line also includes starting tackle Matt Feiler, whom the team gave a second-round tender, and reserve tackle Zach Banner, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers Thursday.

Report: OT Zach Banner has agreed to terms for 2020

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle will reportedly sign RFA tender

Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner, who was due to become a restricted free agent on Wednesday, has agreed to terms for the 2020 season.

According to Joe Rutter of Trib Live, the one-year deal is worth $1.75 million, less than the lowest tendered amount of $2.133 million.

Banner joined the Steelers in 2018 and appeared in 14 games. He made his first start in November versus the Cincinnati Bengals.

How will the new CBA effect the Steelers in free agency?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are over the salary cap heading into free agency, but the new CBA gives the team some breathing room.

General manager Kevin Colbert and his staff have been working through various scenarios with the Pittsburgh Steelers fragile salary cap position for months. The ratification of the Collective Bargaining Agreement – which is slated to take effect Wednesday – brings clarity to what is still a complicated situation.

Here’s the good news: The passage of the CBA eliminated the 30 percent rule, one that would’ve limited the amount of contract restructuring teams could do.

Here’s the bad news: The salary cap figure, $198.2 million, is significantly less than the $200 million-plus that was initially projected, and puts the Steelers $2.4 million in the red – according to OverTheCap.com.

Throughout the offseason, only the players with the 51 largest cap hits for the season will be counted toward the salary cap. The Steelers’ total cap number for their top 51 is roughly $204 million. This figure does not include any pending free agents (i.e., Mike Hilton, Matt Feiler, Zach Banner), nor does it cover the $16.26 million franchise tag that is likely to be placed on Bud Dupree.

There is plenty more that the total cap number for the top 51 does not incorporate, such as the rise in minimum salaries and rookie minimum wages. The cost of the expansion of rosters to 55 and practice squad to 12 players also adds to the cap number.

Colbert will need to get creative with the avenues toward cap-saving measures. Among the options will be to cut 2021 free agents Ramon Foster, Mark Barron, and Anthony Chickillo, and restructure contracts of key players like those of Ben Roethlisberger, Vance McDonald, Stephon Tuitt, and Joe Haden.

All clubs must be under the salary cap before the start of the 2020 league year and free agency, which begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. eastern.

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Steelers OT Zach Banner calls out awful take on Ben Roethlisberger

Thomas Davis made an awful point and Zach Banner didn’t let him off the hook.

When I first saw the horrible take from former NFL player Thomas Davis I got fired up to write about it. Davis went full “pay attention to me” when he went on NFL Total Access and tried to claim that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could have come back and he quit on his team in 2019.

But now I don’t have to. Because Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner said it all in his tweet about the situation. Banner didn’t hold back on Davis, calling his take idiotic, uneducated and sad. He also implied Davis was selling out to the NFL Network who are always thirsty for those hot takes.

The notion Roethlisberger could have played in 2019 and chose not to is absolutely asinine and thank you to Banner for not staying quiet about it. The video of Davis saying all this nonsense is all over social media at this point and he is being roasted by Steelers fans for it.

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Steelers OT Zach Banner eyeing a starting spot in 2020

Could Zach Banner be a starter next season?

This season, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner became a cult hero. As the team’s designated sixth offensive lineman, Banner played over 21 percent of the team’s total offensive snaps. That was more than running back Benny Snell Jr. and wide receiver Ryan Switzer. But it looks like Banner is eyeing something bigger in 2020.

Banner sent out the tweet above in response to seeing a Tennessee Titans reserve offensive tackle catch a touchdown pass in the AFC Championship game.

This offseason is pivotal for Banner and the Steelers offensive line. He, along with starting right tackle Matt Feiler are both restricted free agents. Pittsburgh could offer both similar tenders and let them fight it out for the starting right tackle spot, or the Steelers could commit to one or the other longterm and let the other walk. Feiler underwhelmed last season which should leave a great opportunity for Banner to step into the spot with a little luck.

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Zach Banner’s cult status reaches apex with NFL Shop ad

Zach Banner is one of the most likable players in the NFL.

The Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase has turned reserve offensive lineman Zach Banner into a cult hero. Banner is the team’s sixth offensive lineman and plays a lot of snaps in that role. When the PA announcer says “No. 72 is reporting eligible” the crowd goes crazy. The team decided to capitalize on Banner’s popularity by setting him up in the most epic NFL Shop ad of all time.

If that picture doesn’t make you want to buy those pajamas nothing will. Banner might be the most popular backup offensive lineman in the NFL and all the hype aside, he really is a good football player.

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