When the Washington Commanders struck a bombshell trade for left tackle Laremy Tunsil during the offseason, it was seen as a massive statement of intent from general manager Adam Peters. Even though things didn't go according to plan for the team as a whole in 2025, the elite-level blindside enforcer was as advertised.
And his old club was probably ruing the decision to part ways with the former Ole Miss standout after their disastrous playoff loss to the New England Patriots.
The Houston Texans felt disposing of Tunsil was a risk worth taking. His production was still high, but the AFC South club felt like it needed to extract maximum value for a player whose leadership was called into question by those in power.
Commanders struck gold with Laremy Tunsil, and the Texans paid in the end
Head coach DeMeco Ryans' squad managed to get through the season and the wild-card round on the back of their exceptional defense. But when it came to the crunch at Gillette Stadium, quarterback C.J. Stroud was found wanting. And their offensive line completely crumbled in the face of sustained pressure.
Stroud was beaten from pillar to post, and the mistakes were catastrophic. One could forgive the Ohio State product for thinking of Tunsil at this precise moment, because at least his blindside would have been free of trouble in the postseason pressure cooker.
The Texans thought the compensation offered by Washington was too tempting to refuse. Tunsil felt a little stung by being cast aside, so he probably had a wry smile watching Houston's protection almost completely disintegrate versus New England's relentless defensive front seven.
Tunsil was arguably the biggest bright spot from an underwhelming season in Washington. His pass protection was flawless, and his run blocking was surprisingly dominant. The penalty numbers were still too high, but this was easily the best campaign from any Commanders left tackle since Trent Williams.
Couple this with Tunsil's mentoring of rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr., and it's not hard to see why he'll want an extension ahead of time this offseason. That is not going to be cheap, but outstanding edge protectors don't grow on trees. Getting the five-time Pro Bowler tied down for the remainder of his career represents a sound investment, even if it might end up costing around $30 million per year.
Houston had its reasons for deeming Tunsil surplus to requirements. But their loss was the Commanders' gain, even if most other areas of the roster fluffed their lines in the worst way imaginable.