Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner has promised that he was making a comeback to football , and now that promise has come true, as Banner has signed with the Houston Roughnecks of the UFL.
"I've been grinding for the last two years to get back… I promise I'll be playing football this year," Banner said in 2024, and now that has come to pass.
Banner will join the Roughnecks training camp in progress in Arlington, Texas, where the entire UFL trains.
Originally a fourth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts out of USC in 2017, Banner was cut by the Colts before he played a game in his rookie season. He was claimed on waivers by the Cleveland Browns and spent the rest of his rookie year there, playing just 27 snaps of offense. Banner was then released in March, and claimed on waivers by the Carolina Panthers . The Panthers cut him in May.
Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Zach Banner during a game against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 3, 2019, — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers signed Banner in August 2018 and he immediately found a home in Pittsburgh. After not playing at all in his first season, he appeared in 14 games as a reserve tackle in 2019, playing in 216 snaps as both a tackle and a jumbo tight end, where he became a fan favorite.
In 2020, Banner moved up from the swing tackle role after he beat out Chuks Okorafor for the starting right tackle job, but that ended after just one game. Late in the season opener against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, Banner tore his ACL, ending his season.
The following year, Banner attempted to come back, and was expected to once again start at right tackle, and he played in one preseason game, but was unable to continue, with Okorafor once again replacing him and rookie Dan Moore Jr. starting at left tackle.
The Steelers released Banner in March 2022 and he has not returned to organized football until now.
The 2025 UFL season will kick off on March 28, again featuring eight teams and a 10-week regular season, leading up to the second UFL Championship on June 14.
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