The Washington Commanders will be without left tackle Laremy Tunsil for a significant period of time this season as the veteran offensive lineman prepares for surgery to repair a torn triceps. The recovery period for this type of procedure is anywhere from 4 to 7 months, though the Commanders told reporters they’d have a better idea of a recovery timeline after the surgery is complete.
“It’s always tough to talk about a player missing time, especially a great player like LT,” Head coach Dan Quinn said. “Not only is he an unbelievable player, but he is an absolutely fantastic teammate. He’ll be missed, and we certainly can’t wait to get him back.”
Tunsil appeared to suffer the injury at practice on August 8th in a 1 on 1 pass rush drill. While the team initially held out hope that he didn’t suffer a full tear, additional testing revealed that surgery would be the best course of corrective action.
The injury comes on the heels of Tunsil signing a record setting two year, $61.5M extension in the offseason, making him the first offensive lineman in NFL history to average north of $30M per season. The 32 year old was expected to anchor Washington’s offensive line as the team looked to bounce back from a disappointing 5-12 record in 2025.
While Washington is holding out hope that Tunsil will be able to return at some point this season, his availability will also likely hinge on how the Commanders are faring in the standings near the end of the year. If Washington is floundering at the bottom of the NFC East, it’s quite possible that the team opts to play it safe with their franchise tackle and have him sit out the season altogether.
If however the Commanders find themselves in the thick of the playoff mix, there’s an outside chance that the Ole Miss alum could be available to the tail end of the regular season or playoffs. In the meantime, the club has announced they’ll turn to Brandon Coleman as their starting left tackle, while also looking for outside help to add depth to the position.
Coleman started 12 games at left tackles as a rookie, and filled in for Tunsil 3 times at the position in 2025 due to injury. It was expected he would slide over to left guard this season, but evidently those plans have changed. “[Coleman] has played a lot of winning football at left tackle here, and we know he’s ready for it,” Quinn said. “He’s put in an excellent offseason, and the team’s very confident in him.”
Some other options the team could consider on either a rotational or short term basis include Andrew Wylie, or Josh Conerly Jr. as internal options. There’s also some notable free agents such as Cam Robinson or Taylor Decker who could help add some depth to the position as well if Washington wants to look outside the locker room for potential solutions.
Both Robinson and Decker have some significant wear on their tires at this point, but could also add some experience to the leadership void along the line with Tunsil taking a back seat.
Washington will open up their preseason against the Miami Dolphins on Friday August 14th.
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