The Washington Commanders have a notable move along the offensive line after Laremy Tunsil's injury was confirmed
The Washington Commanders are officially making a shift along the offensive line.
Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed the injury to star left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who suffered a torn tricep in one-on-one drills during Saturday's practice. Quinn confirmed that Tunsil is set to undergo surgery, with a timeframe for a return to play now a question given the veteran is expected to miss a significant portion of the upcoming 2026 season.
In his absence, Washington will turn to an in-house option to alleviate the strain at the position with Brandon Coleman now shifting back to left tackle.
Coleman entrenched in a position battle with Chris Paul for the starting spot at left guard with the move also all but ending that position battle. With left guard settled, now the Commanders will turn to evaluating Coleman back at his natural position as Quinn and Darnell Stapleton, the team's offensive line coach, work to finalize their starting five.
"He's played a lot of winning football at left tackle here," head coach Dan Quinn said of Coleman.
Coleman arrived as a third round pick out of TCU during the 2024 NFL Draft before stepping in at left tackle as a rookie, starting in 12 games and appearing in 16 prior to the postseason run that ended in the NFC Championship Game. Yet Washington would then acquire Laremy Tunsil in an offseason trade with the Houston Texans that pushed Coleman inside, starting through the first two weeks of the 2025 season before he was replaced by Paul as the starting left guard in week three. Yet when Tunsil was sidelined for the final two weeks of the season, it was Coleman who drew the start once again at left tackle. Through his two seasons with the team, Coleman has been called for nine total penalties while still playing in over 50% of the team's snaps in 2025.
As Coleman looks to alleviate any concerns at the position, head coach Dan Quinn also noted that the team is currently not expected to bring in any additional free agents to upgrade the depth. Veteran offensive tackle Taylor Dekker quickly drew talk as a potential free agent fit, though it is now all eyes on the existing pieces currently in Ashburn. Andrew Wylie was listed as the co-backup to Coleman at left tackle in the team's first unofficial depth chart of preseason with Foster Sarell rounding out the fourth unit.
