Right tackle Zach Banner among 3 Steelers players placed on injured reserve

Zach Banner’s return to the Pittsburgh Steelers lineup after a torn ACL will have to wait at least three weeks once the regular season begins.

Same goes for Anthony McFarland and Stephon Tuitt.

All three were placed on injured reserve Wednesday, meaning they will miss at least the season opener at Buffalo and home games against Las Vegas and Cincinnati. They are eligible to return for the Oct. 3 game at Green Bay.

The Steelers brought back three players to the 53-man roster that they cut Tuesday: offensive linemen Rashaad Coward and B.J. Finney and cornerback Arthur Maulet.

Banner played only 12 snaps and two series at right tackle in the preseason, all coming in the third game. After injuring his knee in the 2020 season opener against the New York Giants, Banner was hoping to be back on the field for the start of the 2021 season.

Rookie fourth-round pick Dan Moore Jr. is expected to start at left tackle with Chuks Okorafor returning to right tackle for the early part of the season. Okorafor played right tackle last season after Banner’s injury but was used exclusively at left tackle in training camp until earlier this week.

McFarland, a second-year running back, also hasn’t played since the third preseason game. He was the backup to starter Najee Harris in the early part of training camp.

Tuitt hasn’t practiced because of a knee injury. His absence was a reason the Steelers carried eight defensive linemen on the initial 53-man roster.

When the Steelers set their roster Tuesday, they had only seven healthy offensive linemen. The addition of Coward and Finney, who are guards, fortifies the interior of the line.

Maulet, who was in competition for the slot corner job early in training camp, gives the Steelers a fifth cornerback on the roster.