On Monday, the Houston Texans agreed to trade five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and a fourth-round pick to the Washington Commanders for a third and seventh-round pick.
The trade came as a surprise, as Tunsil is one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL and the Texans just extended his contract two seasons ago.
C.J. Stroud often struggled behind Houston’s offensive line, so it was shocking that they would move on from one of their best players.
The NFL world was shocked by the trade, including some players. Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby was left puzzled.
He spoke about the trade and his reaction to it on the latest episode of his podcast, The Rush.
“Houston was getting butchered last year on the O-Line,” he said. “C.J. Stroud was getting smacked left and right. Getting rid of Laremy Tunsil after that is crazy to me. So, I don’t know what they got, but I do respect DeMeco Ryans and those guys over there. They’re smart motherf—ers. They’re great coaches and a great organization. They’ve turned it around real fast. So, I respect the hell out of them, but the first initial thoughts were, ‘They better have a plan.’ That doesn’t make any sense. Tunsil is a dog, bro. That’s the one that really stuck out to me amidst all the craziness. That one, definitely for sure.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Tunsil was the third-highest-graded offensive player on the Texans in 2024. He allowed 23 total pressures with four sacks, two coming in the first game of the season and two in the last.
Tunsil has allowed fewer than 30 total pressures in eight years of his nine-year career. He has three seasons logging more than 1,000 snaps.
The Commanders needed help on their offensive line, and they protect their excellent young quarterback, Jayden Daniels, with one of the league’s best.
The Raiders play both the Texans and Commanders this season, and both games are on the road. Crosby will see Tunsil in Washington and an offensive line without him in Houston.
Both those games will be tough for the Raiders, and both will likely come down to who plays better in the trenches.
