Tag: Houston Texans left tackle

LT Laremy Tunsil is the Texans’ most essential non-QB on the roster

Left tackle Laremy Tunsil has shown that he may be the Houston Texans’ most essential non-quarterback on the roster, according to CBS Sports.

The NFL is built around the quarterback. Any team without a good quarterback, whether due to availability issues or talent acquisition constraints, will be challenged to compete throughout a 17-game season. No doubt the quickest way to take a team down a notch is to dissociate the field general from the game.

Although the Houston Texans haven’t had the best quarterback play in recent seasons, the potential resides in rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Without taking a single snap yet, it can be argued the former Ohio State product is the most essential player on the roster — just because of how the league is constructed.

What about non-quarterbacks on the Texans’ roster? Which player is the most essential among the nearly 90 Texans that remain?

According to Tyler Sullivan from CBS Sports, the most essential non-QB on the roster is left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

Assuming rookie QB C.J. Stroud gets the nod under center, he’ll need all the help he can get up front, not only because the interior remains a question mark but because Stroud isn’t necessarily known for his mobility. Protect the signal-caller!

The three-time Pro Bowler played a full season’s complement of games for the first time in his career in 2022. The Texans went 3-13-1, the worst winning percentage since his 2019 arrival — even worse than 4-13 in 2021 when Tunsil played just five games.

However, Houston had a much better run game last year than in the season Tunsil was done with a thumb injury by Week 5. Former fourth-rounder Dameon Pierce is talented in his own right, but his 939 rushing yards were the closest a Texans running back has come to the 1,000-yard mark since 2019. In 2021, Rex Burkhead led the Texans with 427 and had the team’s only 100-yard game in Week 16. Tunsil’s presence on the left side as a road grader was essential for Pierce.

The Texans are hopeful that the DeMeco Ryans era will instill strong enough cohesion to absorb any attrition that may affect their position groups, regardless of how essential the starters are.

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Texans LT Laremy Tunsil gets his due on top-100 players list

Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil earned a spot on CBS Sports’ top-100 players list.

The Houston Texans have been dismal since 2020, save for one position.

Left tackle Laremy Tunsil has delivered meritorious protection of his quarterback’s blindside, earning two Pro Bowl selections in the past three seasons.

According to Pete Prisco from CBS Sports, Tunsil ranks No. 50 on his list of top-100 players heading into the 2023 season.

He is coming off his best season, one that showed him to be one of the top pass protectors in the league. He is the anchor of their line.

Tunsil turned in a 2022 season that featured the former 2016 first-round pick playing in all 17 games, the first time in his career he completed a season’s complement of games.

One area where Tunsil has proven valuable for the Texans that may not show up on any list is the left tackle’s willingness to mentor younger players. Right tackle Tytus Howard has been an understudy of Tunsil’s for years.

New coach DeMeco Ryans expects the younger players to learn all they can from the eight-year pro.

“I’m expecting our young guys to be sponges, hoping Laremy shares as much as possible to train the next guys who are coming after him to give them all the tips and tricks of the trade,” Ryans said.

The Texans traded for Tunsil at the end of the 2019 preseason. In the 50 games since, all three of Tunsil’s Pro Bowls have been earned in Houston.

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What would Chiefs trade for Texans LT Laremy Tunsil?

If the Kansas City Chiefs truly wanted tackle help, what would they be willing to give up for the Houston Texans’ Laremy Tunsil?

The Houston Texans traded significant assets to acquire Laremy Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins in 2019, and they are at a crossroads once more at left tackle.

With a change of the guard on their coaching staff and in the midst of a total rebuild, it would make sense that the Texans would at least hear offers for one of their most valuable players.

Enter the Kansas City Chiefs, who could look to add one of the league’s most accomplished linemen should their negotiations with Orlando Brown fall through. They have a clear need to keep reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes upright as they look to defend their Super Bowl in 2023. and could be willing to pay a steep price to ensure their offensive line doesn’t take a step back next season.

There would likely need to be some creative financial problem-solving involved to make a hypothetical trade happen, given Tunsil’s massive $35.2 million cap hit, but assuming Kansas City is willing to play ball, a deal would come down to compensation.

The Chiefs could look to part with one of their receivers, namely Mecole Hardman, in order to keep from moving too many draft picks in a year where Kansas City is set to host the annual selection meeting. However, any agreement would likely involve multiple choices in the first three rounds, and potentially their first-round pick in 2024.

All in all, this trade for Tunsil may ultimately make more sense for Houston than it would for Kansas City. Both teams could benefit, though, so don’t count out this ace-up-the-sleeve move that could shake up two AFC offenses just ahead of free agency.

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Texans GM Nick Caserio provides update on Laremy Tunsil contract extension

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio touched slightly on the Laremy Tunsil contract extension from the NFL combine.

INDIANAPOLIS — Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio finally addressed one of the burning questions that most fans have wanted to know since the end of the 2022 NFL regular season.

Will the Texans offer left tackle Laremy Tunsil a contract extension?

“Laremy’s been a good player in this league for a long time,” Caserio said at the NFL combine. “He’s done a lot of good things for our team. So, I think each individual player, when the time comes, and it’s appropriate to have any conversations, we’ll go ahead and do that.

“A lot of respect for Laremy; we’ve had good conversations along the way. So, we will see how the offseason goes. I am not going to get into any individual conversations we have with players. But Laremy’s expressed his sentiments about wanting to be here in Houston. We’ll see if it works itself out the way everybody would like it to. We are going to take it one day at a time.”

Tunsil, 28, was selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, believes he should be the NFL’s highest-paid tackle. He is currently making $22 million a year on his current contract, which ranks him right below San Francisco 49ers tackle Trent Williams, who makes $23 million per year.

A strong case can be made for Tunsil after his performance in 2022, as he only allowed one sack and was rated as the highest pass-blocking tackle with a 91.7 by Pro Football Focus. He was also selected for the third Pro Bowl of his career.

Caserio would not go into detail Tuesday on how the Texans deal with contract extensions. Still, the expression on his face lets the media know he is serious about ensuring that Tunsil is happy. Having Tunsil secure long-term also gives Houston confidence as to the protection their rookie quarterback will have while adjusting to the league.

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Texans LT Laremy Tunsil cracks Pro Football Focus’ top-101

Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil carved out a spot on Pro Football Focus’ top-101.

The Houston Texans may have had one of the worst rosters in the 2022 NFL season, but that doesn’t mean they were completely devoid of talent.

According to Sam Monson from Pro Football Focus, left tackle Laremy Tunsil was the bright spot on the roster. The three-time Pro Bowler made the analytics service’s top-101 list with a No. 35 ranking.

There may have been no better pass-blocking left tackle this season than Tunsil. He finished with a 91.7 PFF pass-blocking grade from 17 games, featuring 17 total pressures — only one of which was a sack.

Even though the quarterback play was otherwise atrocious for Houston in 2022, Texans passers were sacked only 38 times, tied for the 13th-fewest in the NFL. Most of that had to do with Tunsil’s protection.

Then-offensive line coach George Warhop said on Dec. 29 that what made Tunsil excellent was his ability to stay reliable while also having a passion for the game.

“He’s extremely consistent, and he takes it very personal,” Warhop said. “He’s not one to display that stuff, but being a good player is very, very important to him. Us being successful is very, very important to him. Larmey, he’s kind of a quiet guy. You don’t always get that from him, but when you’re around him you really grow to appreciate how important it is to him for us to be successful.”

New offensive line coach George Strausser will have a chance to work with Tunsil and have a firsthand look at how talented the former Miami Dolphins 2016 first-round pick can be.

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