If recent history has told us anything, Washington Commanders left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, even at 30 years old, could very still be in his prime.
ESPN and NFL executives expressed as much when they placed the 5-time Pro Bowler at No. 7 on their list of the Top 10 NFL offensive tackles in their annual position rankings.
The Commanders bet big on Tunsil this offseason, sending a 2025 third round pick, 2025 seventh round pick, 2026 fourth round pick and 2026 second round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for Tunsil and a 2025 fourth round pick on March 10.
It was a move that fundamentally changed the Commanders offense for the better and showed the franchise firmly believes it will be a Super Bowl contender in Year 2 of the Jayden Daniels Era.
Daniels led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game as a rookie using a revolving door of veteran Cornelius Lucas and rookie Brandon Coleman to protect his blind side, which is the role Tunsil now occupies.
“Tunsil has long performed like a top-five tackle on our list, but miscues and the Texans’ offensive line struggles hurt his case this time around,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 13. “He has three consecutive seasons of committing at least 10 penalties, including 19 in 2024 … Evaluators still love his combination of footwork, agility and violence — and so did the Washington Commanders.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tristan Wirfs, the first player in NFL history to earn NFL All-Pro honors at both tackle spots, took the No. 1 spot on the list.
Tunsil was also one of 4 offensive tackles 30 years or older to make the Top 10.
Huge Investment For Commanders To Protect JD
Tunsil has 2 years left on the 3-year, $75 million contract extension he signed with the Texans in 2023 — the Commanders will pay him $41.7 million combined in 2025 and 2026, which will bring his career earnings to approximately $163.8 million.
Pro Football Focus ratings show a player still playing at an elite level one decade into his NFL career. Tunsil, 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds, had an overall PFF rating of 76.1 in 2024 and his 88.6 rating in pass blocking situations put him fourth out of 140 eligible tackles.
“I can make a huge impact, pass protector, damn good run blocker,” Tunsil told Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith. “I can’t wait to block for Jayden Daniels. He’s a baller. Just from seeing him on TV and on film too, and it seems like he’s a better dude.”
Daniels is the key to everything, and the Commanders have went all in on building their roster around the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Not only did the Commanders trade for Tunsil and NFL All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel, they also drafted an offensive tackle in the first round (No. 29 overall) with Oregon’s Josh Conerly.
“We knew it was Jayden for a while and it would’ve taken a lot for it to not be Jayden personally, you know, or just in reality,” Washington general manager Adam Peters said after drafting Daniels in April 2024. “I mean, and it was the building, the whole building was in. I would say unanimous on (Daniels) and it’s easy to see why.”
