The Washington Commanders may have had the NFL’s best offensive tackle in 2025 with Laremy Tunsil.
The problem was that, for as good as Tunsil was last season, there were few chances for him to play meaningful football in a year in which the Commanders entered as Super Bowl contenders but stumbled to a 5-12 finish.
That did little to hurt Tunsil’s value in the eyes of his team or his peers as he landed at No. 5 on ESPN’s annual preseason position rankings as voted on by league executives, coaches, and scouts, with 1 NFC executive calling Tunsil’s style of play “bulletproof.”
“The Commanders’ offense had a tough year on the field, but one bright spot was Tunsil, acquired last offseason via trade from Houston,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 11. “Tunsil gave up four sacks in 393 pass-blocking opportunities last season en route to a 91.5% pass block win rate. And to his credit, Tunsil was called for only five penalties after 17 the previous season. Yet, some voters believe consistency is an issue.”
The Commanders have been facing a stark reality when it comes to ESPN’s annual position rankings, where offensive tackles were the 6th position group announced, with Tunsil the 1st player on the roster to make any of the Top 10 rankings.
With interior offensive linemen, quarterbacks, off-ball linebackers, wide receivers, and safeties still left to be released, players to watch for off the Commanders in terms of possible Top 10 selections seem like off-ball linebacker Frankie Luvu, quarterback Jayden Daniels, and wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Laremy Tunsil Made History With New Contract
On the 1st day of NFL free agency on March 9, the Commanders proved they’re willing to pay big money to keep quarterback Jayden Daniels safe by bringing back 5-time Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil with a record-setting 2-year, $60.2 million contract.
“Commanders Pro Bowl LT Laremy Tunsil reached agreement on a 2-year, $60.2M contract extension with Washington,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account. “There are $61.5M in guarantees, including the biggest signing bonus for an offensive lineman at $32.5M. Tunsil was the NFL’s 1st $20M per year offensive lineman. He was the league’s 1st $25M per year offensive lineman and now the first $30M offensive lineman.”
Laremy Tunsil’s Dominance on Full Display in 2025
Tunsil, 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds, was as good as any offensive tackle in the NFL in 2025 despite the Commanders going 5-12 and missing the playoffs just 1 year after going 12-5 and advancing to the NFC Championship Game.
According to Pro Football Focus, Tunsil’s overall grade of 84.7 put him 8th among 89 eligible left offensive tackles.
Unfortunately for Tunsil, no story about him is complete without mentioning the day he was drafted No. 13 overall by the Miami Dolphins.
As the draft started, a video leaked online from Tunsil’s X account that showed him smoking a substance out of a giant bong attached to a gas mask.
That was followed by a series of screenshots that appeared to show Tunsil’s family was receiving money from Ole Miss staff. Tunsil later admitted he took money while in college.
“A video posted to NFL prospect Laremy Tunsil’s verified Twitter account Thursday night showed the former Ole Miss offensive tackle wearing a gas mask and smoking a substance from a bong,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote in 2016. ” … Tunsil, one of the highest-rated prospects in the draft who at one point was considered a likely No. 1 overall pick, was picked No. 13 overall by the Miami Dolphins. Tunsil confirmed to ESPN’s Suzy Kolber that he was in the video, adding that he was ‘blessed’ to be picked by the Dolphins.”
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