The Houston Texans had an extremely successful 2023 campaign.
They cruised to a 10-7 record under new head coach DeMeco Ryans and captured several accolades along the way. They won the AFC South and won a playoff game for the first time since the 2019 season. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud won PFWA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, rookie edge rusher Will Anderson won PFWA’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, and even Ryans took home hardware with PFWA’s Coach of the Year.
With a revamped team effort that led to dramatic improvements compared to both the 2021 and 2022 Texans, it’s worth examining who created that impact this past season and what their future projects moving forward.
This series has taken a look at defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, running back Devin Singletary, rookie receiver Tank Dell, and veteran tackle George Fant, and upstart linebacker Blake Cashman.
Entering the top 10, we took a closer look at cornerback Steven Nelson and linebacker Christian Harris, and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Now, Pro Bowl left tackle and franchise cornerstone Laremy Tunsil comes under consideration.
Background
Laremy Tunsil has been everything the Texans hoped for since he was acquired in 2019 by then general manager and head coach Bill O’Brien.
Leading up to the 2023 campaign, he’d been named a Pro Bowler for three of the past four seasons and was by far Houston’s best player during their dreadful 2021-22 run under head coaches Lovie Smith and David Culley. The offensive line for Davis Mills in those years was never consistent but Tunsil, especially in pass protection, was reliable to play as one of the best in the league at his position.
As such, his performance was rewarded prior to the 2023 campaign. Prior to the 2023 NFL draft, when most of the world expected Houston to select a rookie quarterback, general manager Nick Caserio opted to secure the blindside for years to come. The Texans made Laremy Tunsil the highest paid offensive lineman and left tackle in NFL history with a three-year, $75 million deal.
“I’m glad to be here in H-Town for another four years,” said Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil at his press conference on Wednesday to discuss his new contract extension with the team. “It was very important for me to stay here. I consider this home.” #Texans #Sarge… pic.twitter.com/fPTOM9HsdB
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) March 22, 2023
Once Houston drafted C.J. Stroud just a month later, the objectives were clear. It would be up to Tunsil and recently extended veterans Shaq Mason and Tytus Howard to protect the rookie quarterback and provide some semblance of hope for offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to conduct a successful offense.
2023 Performance
Tunsil, as everyone has come to expect, had another fabulous campaign in 2024.
He fought through a recurrent knee injury to start in 14 of 17 regular-season games and started both of Houston’s playoff games once they made the post-season. He surrendered five sacks, per Pro Football Focus, through the season but that doesn’t quite tell the whole story.
In the playoffs against the Cleveland Browns, Tunsil more than showed his worth. He shut down All-Pro and potential Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett and created ample time for the offense to operate as they shredded the Browns, 45-14. It was one of many performances this year where Tunsil was able to erase elite pass rushers for Slowik’s gameplan.
Laremy Tunsil this regular season:
518 pass-blocking snaps
20 QB pressures allowed
5 sacks allowed
3.9% pressure percentage— PFF HOU Texans (@PFF_Texans) February 2, 2024
It wasn’t a perfect season, Tunsil is still not a premier run blocker and fans once again saw “Tunsilitis” in the form of eight false start penalties that have plagued his career.
All in all, however, it’s impossible to discount how impactful having a premier tackle was in facilitating Stroud’s ascent to Offensive Rookie of the Year and a premier quarterback in the NFL.
2024 Projection
Tunsil enters 2024 in the same spot he’s always been — the franchise left tackle for the Texans.
He’ll be responsible once again for protecting Stroud and trying to facilitate one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. Hopefully the overall run blocking performance of the unit will improve with the return of 2022 first-round pick Kenyon Green next to him at left guard and a possible free agent addition at running back.
Notably for the offseason, Tunsil is Houston’s strongest re-structure candidate. The team could free up to $11.5 million in cap space with a restructure if they wanted to generate more cap space for free agents and retaining their own players. There was a breakdown on that exact subject.
Fans have come to love Tunsil and can expect another strong year on the blindside in 2024.
