2020 could play out in many ways for young Steelers OL Chuks Okorafor

Chuks Okorafor laughed. It was a question for which he had no answer.

What is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coaching staff’s plans for him for the 2020 season?

“I have no idea yet where I stand in terms of whatever,” the young offensive lineman said the day after the season ended last week. “We will see. It’s a long, long offseason, so we will see how everything plays out.”

For Okorafor, there are plenty of possibilities for how 2020 might go. A tackle taken in the third round of the 2018 draft, it’s possible Okorafor will be given a chance to win the starting gig at right tackle again this summer. He was part of a four-way competition there last summer.

But Okorafor lost to Matt Feiler, and he even fell behind Zach Banner on the depth chart. Banner was active for all 16 games, and Okorafor was in uniform only three times. (Jerald Hawkins, the fourth man involved in camp, was traded in late August.)

Okorafor did start the Week 9 win against the Los Angeles Rams, but that was the only time all regular season he stepped onto the field.

That’s a stark contrast to his rookie season, when Okorafor played in 13 games and started three. Before Banner became a cult hero as the tackle-eligible, Okorafor held those duties in 2018.

For #Steelers offensive tackle Chuks Okorafor “Just going right into training and then the combine, pro day, minicamp, rookie camp, all the way through the season … It’s just been a long, long process.” https://t.co/7tVYfkO8Wt

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) February 18, 2019

Still just 22 years old until the third week of training camp, Okorafor retains a bright future.

With potential moving pieces on the Steelers offensive line (Feiler is a candidate to move to left guard), Okorafor might be in the running to start at right tackle in 2020 or at least be the swing backup who runs the tackle-eligible plays.

“Being here now and finishing up my second year, you kind of just look at it from, from last year’s training camp and last year’s preseason to now, I for sure see myself having improved,” Okorafor said.

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