When the Steelers opened training camp back in late July, one of the only open spots in the starting lineup was at right tackle.
Matt Feiler, the starter the previous two seasons, was being moved to left guard to replace retired longtime starter Ramon Foster. That meant the Steelers would look at young veterans Chuks Okorafor and Zach Banner at the right tackle spot.
The two rotated on a daily basis at the position throughout the team's training camp at Heinz Field, which ended Friday, and Mike Tomlin is not yet ready to declare a winner.
NFL teams will be required to release their first depth chart on Monday, but Tomlin will have another week before he has to send one of the two onto the field when the Steelers open their season at MetLife Stadium against the Giants.
"You may see 'OR' listed on that depth chart on Monday, meaning 'O-R,'" Tomlin said Friday when asked if he'd made a decision there.
Tomlin probably has a pretty good idea whether the team will go with Okorafor, a third-round pick in 2018, or Banner, a fourth-round pick of the Colts in 2017 who bounced around the league for a couple of years before landing with the Steelers. But he's also not about to tip his hand needlessly.
And by all accounts, Okorafor and Banner have not made this an easy decision.
"I think it’s been a challenging decision for us because both guys are capable," Tomlin said. "Both guys have been consistently above the line in their performance. Those are good problems to have. I don’t know if I necessarily view it as a negative thing with whoever gets named starter could have a short leash. I think we’ve seen two guys who are capable NFL starters at that position battling it out. That’s why we are not in a hurry to make a decision from my perspective."
Okorafor has made four career starts in his two seasons, including a spot start last season at right tackle when Feiler was moved inside for a game against the Rams when Foster was nursing an injury. Banner, meanwhile, played just over 200 snaps in 2019, almost exclusively as an extra lineman in six offensive line sets.
The Steelers surely plan on continuing to use those six offensive line sets, something they've done for years, essentially using the sixth lineman as a blocking tight end. They used that formation more than any other team in 2019 except the Seahawks.
That means the loser of the battle at right tackle will still see a good share of snaps and be the team's third offensive tackle.
At the same time, there will be some disappointment at losing the battle, even if it came to someone both consider a friend. That aspect of everything hasn't changed, even though they're in an open competition.
"We all have to come in here every day, whether we are best friends or not friends, with the same mindset," Okorafor said. "Nothing’s changed, really."
After being released by the Colts, Browns and Panthers before landing with the Steelers, Banner is just happy for the opportunity to be a starter.
"You guys need to understand where my mindset is. I’m extremely grateful that I am not a bubble roster guy anymore," Banner said. "I am going to be on the 53 (man roster). I’m not going to be in a hotel waiting for my phone to ring. I’m not saying that is what I’m settling at. I want to be great, I want to play, I do want to be a starter. I am extremely competitive. I can’t make that decision; I can only go out and put it on film."
Okorafor and Banner have done that throughout this process on a nearly daily basis, with the only bump in the road coming when Okorafor missed a couple of days of practice with some soreness in his groin.
But he wasn't out long. Surely, he was watching Banner, who trimmed down considerably for this battle, play well and knew he couldn't afford to miss time.
Not only did Banner slim down, but the loquacious former USC star went as far as to delete all of the social media apps on his phone at the behest of Tomlin. He wanted Banner focused on football and nothing but football.
And that's what he got.
"I know that’s what I encouraged him to do, and he was in agreement with that," Tomlin said. "I don’t know if that’s a maturation process. That’s just getting singularly focused on appropriate professional business, and he’s displayed that."
It might have been enough to push him past Okorafor or it might not have done so.
All Banner knows is that the Steelers will make the decision that's best for the team about who will help protect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
"I understand he wants to make a great decision," Banner said of Tomlin's decision to wait to name a starter. "You’re talking about protecting one of the most important people in the city of Pittsburgh. You can’t make up for sacks. If you make a mistake on the offensive line, people could get hurt. He’s just making an in-depth decision. Whichever decision he makes, like I said, if I lost, I’ll feel a little hurt, but then, I need to know what my role is. If I win, it will be exciting, but the minute you go out there and mess up, you’re done. The pressure stays on all the time."