Laremy Tunsil's torn triceps puts Commanders' season in jeopardy

It started as one of those routine training camp scares that everybody hopes turns into nothing. Then Adam Schefter's timeline filled up fast, and by Monday it was very much something. Tunsil went down during a 1-on-1 pass-rush drill and never came back, and the diagnosis that followed is about as bad as it gets for an offensive tackle this deep into camp.

Schefter's follow-ups painted the picture in real time on the night of the injury: Tunsil's regular season was suddenly in jeopardy, the Commanders were still nailing down a timeline, and the fix was going to take a while. That's about as ominous as a beat reporter's language gets in August.

On Monday morning, head coach Dan Quinn made it official: Tunsil will have surgery on the torn tricep, and per Schefter, the five-time Pro Bowler is expected to miss significant time, if not the entire season. Recovery from this type of injury typically runs 4 to 7 months, so even an optimistic outcome likely means Washington opens the season, and plays deep into it, without its franchise left tackle.

The timing stings extra because of the money. Washington handed Tunsil a 2-year extension this offseason worth $61.5 million in guarantees, making him the first offensive lineman in NFL history to average $30 million a season. He wasn't just protecting Jayden Daniels' blindside — he was the anchor of a Commanders offensive line the front office had just bet big on.

Quinn also confirmed the succession plan: Brandon Coleman steps in at left tackle. It's not a total unknown — Coleman started 12 games there as a rookie in 2024 and filled in for 3 more games last season when Tunsil was banged up — but replacing a top-of-market left tackle with a backup is still a downgrade any way you slice it, especially for a team trying to protect a young quarterback.

By Monday afternoon, Schefter was blunt about it on The Pat McAfee Show, saying he'd be surprised if Tunsil plays at all this season given the severity of the injury and the length of the expected recovery.

Washington now has to figure out its offensive line on the fly, weeks before the games start counting, with the most expensive tackle in football recovering in a walking boot instead of setting the edge. Coleman gets the keys, Josh Conerly and Andrew Wylie's roles shuffle around him, and the whole Commanders o-line just got a lot more of an unknown heading into the season.