With Zach Banner’s availability for the season opener in question, the Pittsburgh Steelers tipped their hand in practice Monday about how they might replace him against the Buffalo Bills in 13 days.

Chuks Okorafor took snaps at right tackle, the position he started for 15 games last season after Banner tore his ACL in the first game. Dan Moore, the rookie fourth-round draft pick, returned to left tackle in the Steelers’ first practice since he started the preseason finale at Carolina on the right side.

Until Monday, Okorafor had taken all of his snaps in training camp at left tackle, and Moore played there until being shifted to the right side two weeks ago so he could learn both positions.

Coach Mike Tomlin tried to downplay the switch involving Okorafor.

“He’s versatile,” Tomlin said. “Dan Moore is versatile. Joe (Haeg) is versatile. Everybody really plays right and left other than Banner. We’re just going to keep working our versatility in an effort to put our best available group together, and we’ll determine at a later date what that is.”

The Steelers have just two more practices this week before the players get a four-day break. They will return to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Monday to begin preparations for the opener in Buffalo.

That gives the Steelers six practices before the opener to get Okorafor acclimated to the right side, where he will play next to veteran Trai Turner, and Moore on the left side, where he will line up next to second-year guard Kevin Dotson.

“I trust anybody they put right there,” said Dotson, who didn’t start taking first-team snaps until midway through training camp because of an injury. “They are not going to just put a random person in. I’ve worked with everybody they could possibly put in the position, so I feel good about it.”

Although he was limited in practice for the early part of camp, Banner appeared to be progressing toward a return to the lineup a year after his injury. Then, he played just two series and 12 snaps in the third preseason game against Detroit and didn’t make the trip to Carolina on Friday, so he could remain in Pittsburgh and continue to receive medical treatment, Tomlin said.

Tomlin declined to provide an update on Banner’s injury or whether he had a setback in his rehabilitation.

If the Steelers enter the season with Okorafor at right tackle, he will represent the only player returning to a familiar spot on the line from the 2020 season. Turner was signed after David DeCastro’s release following minicamp, and Dotson was the backup to Matt Feiler for much of 2020.

Kendrick Green, at center, and Moore, at left tackle, would give the Steelers two rookie starters on the offensive line.

At Texas A&M, Moore was a three-year starter at left tackle and played 36 games at the position in that span. That would indicate he is more familiar in that spot than switching to right tackle. Okorafor also is a natural left tackle but has the experience of playing on the right side last year.

“I hadn’t assessed it in that way, really,” Tomlin said when asked about Moore’s comfort level at each tackle spot. “Really, I’m giving him days to work on both sides, and then at a later date, we’ll assess what works best for him, and if we need him, obviously, we’ll use him.”

Defensive end Chris Wormley has faced Moore daily in practice — on the left and right sides.

“I like Dan as a player,” Wormley said. “When you go up against someone, you want to see improvement. I’ve seen that every day from him. Going from left to right tackle, he’s played well enough in preseason games and in practices as well. I’m excited to see him continue to grown and be a young player for us.”

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