Washington has made several notable acquisitions under general manager Adam Peters, whether they be midseason trades or offseason signings in cornerback Marshon Lattimore and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
While Lattimore enters the offseason as a potential cap casualty with Washington able to add roughly an additional $20 million, Samuel enters the offseason as an intriguing potential resign candidate after proving capable of providing another weapon to the offense as the seven-year veteran has already posted more receiving touchdowns and catches than in his final year with San Francisco. But arguably no notable acquisition has proven more impactful for Washington than veteran offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, who offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury raved about ahead of the week 14 road game vs. Minnesota.
“He’s been phenomenal – more than I could have ever expected. I’d say just the type of person, the type of character, the way he works, the way he leads the young guys and it’s been phenomenal. And the play speaks for itself,” Kingsbury said during his weekly press conference.
Per PFF, Tunsil grades as the seventh-highest graded offensive tackle in the NFL and second among NFC East offensive tackles, per PFF, including the highest-graded pass blocking tackle in the NFC.
After leading the NFL in false starts in 2024, Tunsil has taken a step forward with just five penalties in 678 reps in 12 games. In 399 snaps in pass protection, the veteran bookend tackle has allowed just four pressures over the last four games. The week 13 showdown vs. Denver, one of the best pass rushing defenses over the last 15 years, yielded Tunsil’s first sack allowed since the week one win against the New York Giants.
Tunsil will enter next season on a contract year with his three-year, $75 million contract set to expire following the 2026 season. The Commanders reworked Tunsil’s contract shortly after arriving in Washington, creating $14.4 million in cap space for the 2025 season with Tunsil entering 2026 with a $16.95 million base salary.
Kingsbury joked more money was on the way for the 31year old tackle.
“You’d be hard to find one that’s played better at that position this season. He’s going to get a lot of money.”
On the other side of Tunsil has been first-round pick out of Oregon, Josh Conerly, who has battled through the ups of his rookie season. After allowing nine pressures, five hurries and three sacks in the week two loss vs. Green Bay, all marking season-highs, Conerly has not allowed a sack since the week eight loss at Kansas City, combing for just five hurries during that four-game span.
“I’m really impressed by the resiliency early on faced some really talented rushers, had some tough moments which all rookies do but he’s continuing to work hard, hasn’t got his head down and just battled his tail off the entire season. You’re starting to see some of the benefits of those reps and even the tough reps, you learn from and you become a better player.”
While Washington ranks 20th in the NFL with 2.4 sacks allowed per game, the Commanders have been one of the league's best pass blocking teams over the last three games as one of 12 teams allowing under two sacks per game. That will be tested again this weekend against a unique Vikings defense led by Dallas Turner and Jonathan Allen, a former Commander.
Kickoff is set for 1 PM.