The Washington Commanders were dealt a tough blow during Saturday’s practice, as star left tackle Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn triceps, which will require surgery and force him to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season, per ESPN.
Tunsil suffered the injury while attempting to stifle a bull rush from free-agent addition Odafe Oweh during one-on-one drills. Just five months ago, Washington made Tunsil the first $30 million-per-year offensive lineman, signing a two-year, $60.2 million extension that reset the left-tackle market. It marked the second time in his career that Tunsil became the highest-paid player at his position.
Tunsil was acquired by the Commanders from the Houston Texans via trade last offseason and started 14 games for Washington in 2025. A video of Tunsil’s injury circulated around social media. It doesn’t offer the clearest look at what happened, but you can see Tunsil grab at his arm while kneeling down after the rep:
Tunsil just turned 32 years old last Sunday and has long been viewed as one of the best left tackles in the NFL. The former No. 13 overall pick of the Miami Dolphins has made five Pro Bowls over 10 seasons and is viewed as the cornerstone of Jayden Daniels’ protection. PFF ranked Tunsil as the sixth-best offensive tackle in 2025 after he allowed 15 total pressures and two sacks.
This is a troubling development for the Commanders, who had their 2025 season derailed by injury. After going 12-5 in 2024 with an NFC Championship appearance, Washington went 5-12 when several key players were sidelined. On the offensive side alone, Daniels missed 10 games with multiple issues, including a dislocated elbow, star wideout Terry McLaurin had the worst season of his career after being forced to miss seven games due to a quad injury, and running back Austin Ekeler tore his Achilles in Week 2.
What happens next?
The Commanders will likely look in-house for their Tunsil replacement, and they do have a couple of options.
One is Brandon Coleman, the former third-round pick out of TCU in 2024, who began his NFL career at left tackle for Washington. The Commanders did make the NFC Championship with him blocking on the blind side, but Coleman was moved to left guard last year when Tunsil was acquired. Coleman ended up being benched for Chris Paul in Week 3, but did re-enter the starting lineup at left tackle when Tunsil was injured at the end of last season. In this training camp, Coleman was battling Paul for the starting left guard spot.
Another option is Andrew Wylie, who ESPN’s Adam Schefter says is “likely” to be Washington’s new left tackle. Wylie is entering his fourth season with the Commanders after spending 2017-22 with the Kansas City Chiefs. He started games at left guard, right guard and right tackle for Patrick Mahomes and won two Super Bowls.
While experienced, Wylie has never started at left tackle. He was Washington’s starting right tackle in 2023 and 2024, but was replaced by No. 29 overall pick Josh Conerly Jr. in 2025. Wylie then moved inside to right guard and played 16 games with five starts.
The young Coleman and the veteran Wylie are likely Washington’s top two options, but there are a couple of notable names still out there on the open market. Taylor Decker and Cam Robinson headline the slim pickings.
Decker requested his release from the Detroit Lions this offseason after the two sides could not “find common ground.” The one-time Pro Bowler has 140 career starts to his name, but it’s curious as to why he’s still available. Would he play for a franchise other than the Lions, has he been actively searching for a new landing spot and what kind of shape is he in? It’s worth mentioning that new Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough spent several seasons with the Lions as a backup quarterback. The two have some kind of a relationship.
As for Robinson, he began last season with the Texans before being traded to the Cleveland Browns four weeks into the season. Robinson started in 12 of 13 games played for the Browns, and has 114 career starts for four different franchises. He was a former No. 34 overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2017.
