Aside from a new offensive coordinator, a new feature running back, and a rejuvenated QB entering what could be the final season of his Hall of Fame career, the starting offensive tackle duo of Chukwuma Okorafor and Zach Banner are the Steelers’ biggest X-factors for the 2021 season, according to Bleacher Report.
Brad Gagnon, an NFL analyst for the site, cheated slightly in the X-factor exercise and listed both Okorafor and Banner as the team’s X-factors on a rebuilt offensive line looking to re-establish the running game in 2021.
Banner returns from a Week 1 torn ACL against the New York Giants after 59 offensive snaps at MetLife Stadium, while Okorafor — after starting all 15 games last season at right tackle in place of Banner — slides over to the left side to replace longtime veteran Alejandro Villanueva at left tackle after Villanueva signed with the rival Baltimore Ravens.