Pro Football Focus is at it again, and this time the football analytics and scouting firm claims there was no better left tackle in the NFL last season than Laremy Tunsil.
The Houston Texans traded significant draft capital over the next two seasons to the Miami Dolphins to take the former 2016 first-round pick from Ole Miss. Unable to fix quarterback Deshaun Watson’s blindside with solution signs in the second wave of free agency, and unwilling to let rookies in Tytus Howard and Max Scharping grow into the role, the Texans instantly fixed the issue by trading for Tunsil.
According to PFF’s wins above replacement metrics, there was no one better playing at left tackle in 2019 than Tunsil.
The Texans gave up a massive haul to acquire Tunsil, but he delivered with the best season of his young career. Tunsil’s emergence was a huge part of Houston’s move from one of the worst offensive lines in the league to a mid-tier unit, an upgrade that has incredible value and cuts down on negative plays. Tunsil’s 88.2 pass-blocking grade ranked third in the league, as he allowed just 29 pressures on 694 attempts.
The key now for the Texans and general manager Bill O’Brien is to find an affordable and equitable way to keep Tunsil in Houston.