Former Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Zach Banner is taking his next football step on the sideline.
The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that Banner has joined the team this summer as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program, giving him his first NFL coaching job after his playing comeback never fully took off.
Banner had spent years trying to get back on the field after tearing his ACL in 2020. He worked out for multiple teams, retired in February, and even played in the UFL in another push to prove he could still handle NFL-level football. None of it led to another roster spot, so he’s now shifting into coaching while staying in the game.
Banner’s Steelers run lasted from 2018 to 2021, and it came after a winding start to his career. A fourth-round pick from USC in the 2017 NFL Draft, he didn’t stick long with the Indianapolis Colts. That year, he moved from the Colts to the Cleveland Browns and then to the Carolina Panthers before the Steelers picked him up to begin 2018.
In Pittsburgh, Banner went from an overlooked roster piece to the tackle eligible role. His biggest breakthrough came in 2020, when he won the starting right tackle job. That opportunity was cut short almost immediately, though, as he played only one game before the torn ACL ended his season.
Banner was back with the Steelers in 2021 after recovering from the injury, but he was released in 2022. He later signed with the Houston Roughnecks in 2025 as part of his attempt to show he still belonged at the NFL level.
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