Commanders Trade for Laremy Tunsil—But Can He Fix the Costly Penalties That Haunted Him in Houston?

The Washington Commanders made a bold move earlier this offseason by trading for Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil.

Tunsil was one of the best offensive tackles in the league with the Texans, but his game was far from perfect.

ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell looks into what Tunsil needs to do in order to get better with the Commanders.

Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil before the game against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Tunsil must correct mistakes

"There's an interesting thing happening here, right? The Texans want to protect quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was beaten up and eventually injured by the end of the playoff loss to the Chiefs. There's no doubt they needed to address their offensive line this offseason, and their method was moving on from their cornerstone left tackle. Clearly, Houston prefers trying out several draft picks while hoping Cam Robinson will be its short-term solution on Stroud's blind side," Barnwell wrote.

"The Commanders, meanwhile, have their own young quarterback they want to protect. And while it looked like they were comfortable keeping Brandon Coleman along as their left tackle of the future, general manager Adam Peters clearly thought Tunsil wasn't a liability or on the downswing when he traded a pair of Day 2 picks to acquire the five-time Pro Bowler.

"The numbers suggest Tunsil was solid last season -- as a blocker. NFL Next Gen Stats credits him with 2.5 sacks allowed, which is a good number for a left tackle playing a full season. His quick pressure rate was right around league-average (2.2%). He had some trouble with speed around the edge, as Will McDonald IV and James Houston were able to go outside him and create sacks of Stroud, even if they didn't finish the job themselves.

"The problem was what happened before and after the snap. Referees flagged Tunsil a league-high 19 times, including for 12 false starts. He was penalized three times for illegal formation as part of a six-penalty game against the Vikings early in the season. Later in the year, a 77-yard Nico Collins touchdown was wiped off by Tunsil getting downfield prematurely. A veteran tackle of Tunsil's stature shouldn't be making those sorts of mistakes."

Tunsil will participate in the team's mandatory minicamp next week.