Laremy Tunsil Torn Triceps Guts Commanders' Line Before Week 1 vs. Eagles
Washington's highest-paid O-lineman tore his triceps Saturday and could miss a big chunk of the season — bad timing with Philly on deck twice.
A leaky left tackle raises his pressure and sack risk right away.
- Torn triceps suffered Saturday morning
- Out 'a significant portion' of the regular season
- 32-year-old is NFL's highest-paid O-lineman per year
- Will likely miss both Eagles games (Week 1, Week 8)
- Coleman made 15 LT starts over the last two years
The Commanders just lost their most important protector before a snap counts. Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps Saturday morning, and the 32-year-old left tackle is reportedly staring at missing at least a significant portion of the regular season. That's the guy Washington made the league's highest-paid offensive lineman on an annual basis earlier this year — gone, right as the schedule opens with Philadelphia.
The timing stings twice over. The Commanders draw the Eagles in Week 1 and again in Week 8, so Tunsil is likely to miss both matchups against a Philly defensive front that's been drawing rave reviews out of camp. Losing your blindside anchor against the team's toughest edge rush is about the worst calendar draw imaginable.
The Replacement Scramble
Reserve lineman Andrew Wylie kicked over to left tackle when Tunsil went down in practice, but nobody's pretending that's the plan. The likelier fix is Brandon Coleman sliding out from a guard competition with Chris Paul — Coleman logged 12 starts at left tackle in 2024 and 15 over the past two seasons, so he's the most experienced body on the roster for the spot.
There's also a domino option: 2025 first-rounder Josh Conerly could kick from right tackle to the left side, where he lined up at Oregon. Washington will watch whoever wins the short-term audition closely before deciding whether to go shopping outside the building. However it shakes out, this is a real downgrade for a line that was supposed to be a strength.
The Fantasy Fallout
The player to keep tabs on here isn't Tunsil — it's everyone he was protecting. A patched-together left tackle against a hot Eagles front means more pressure, more scrambling, and more hits on the quarterback. That bleeds into pass-game efficiency and the run blocking too, so the whole Washington skill group takes a small hit in early-season projections.
For fantasy managers: don't overreact and bench your Commanders starters, but do temper expectations for the opener against Philadelphia and monitor the left tackle situation through the week. If Coleman struggles in the preseason reps, that's your cue to fade Washington's ceiling in Week 1 and lean on a safer matchup instead.
