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DeMeco Ryans is always looking to what's best for the Houston Texans. That sometimes leads to difficult calls surrounding the roster construction for the long haul.
Fans were stunned earlier this month the Texans shipped off five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders in exchange for four draft picks, including a 2025 third-round selection. Tunsil, who's been the most penalized offensive lineman for two seasons, was still the team's top pass protector, allowing 11 sacks in six seasons following his trade from Miami in 2019.
But Ryans knew that keeping Tunsil would lead to a contract dispute down the line. Money needed to be allocated to younger talents like All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud and Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
That doesn't mean moving off a premier talent like Tunsil was an easy call.
"There’s nothing easy about that because Laremy is such a great player," Ryans told reporters Monday at the annual NFL owners meetings. "Put the tape on Sunday and he’s arguably one of the best one-on-one pass protectors in the NFL, so it’s hard to lose a player of his caliber, but at the same time it was a trade we felt was beneficial to both parties. We were able to get quality draft picks out of the trade and send Laremy to a really good team as well. I think we both benefited from the trade, but it’s going to be hard to replace him as well.”
Earlier this offseason, The MMQB's Albert Breer reported that the was a "toxic culture" surrounding the offensive line this past fall. That eventually led to the team giving up 54 total sacks, which was the third-most in the league, en route to a second AFC South division title.
While the Texans fired offensive line coach Chris Strassuer and moved off three starters, Ryans said the report was "very incorrect" regarding the persona and camaraderie of the offensive line room.
"Our guys in that room they competed, they battled,” Ryans said. “It didn’t go always how we wanted it to go, but there was nothing toxic in the room. Those guys showed up to work every day and those guys were a tight group. They went out to dinners throughout the week. I don’t know where that report came from, but it’s very incorrect. There’s nothing in our building and nothing that I stand for as head coach of the team that we bring in the right people we bring ingood guys and all those guys are great guys.”
With Tunsil gone, Houston must find a long-term left tackle to protect Stroud in Year 3. Veteran Cam Robinson could serve as a stop-gap option for 2025 after signing a one-year deal this offseason, but Houston still must look for a youthful replacement who elevate the offense for several years on a team-friendly contract.
Just because Houston has been linked to offensive linemen in mocks doesn't mean that it'll target a starter with one of its top 100 picks. Ryans mentioned how with the addition of four new players to replace Tunsil, Shaq Mason and Kenyon Green, a battle would ensue for first-team reps.
"The idea behind adding those guys was to just add some veteran guys who have played for a while and have done it the right way, guys play hard and really wanted to enhance competition in the room. We have a good core of young guys, some veteran guys. With the mix of guys, the messaging to everyone is let’s see who our best five on the team will be. Let’s see what that competition will make of us."
While the Texans moved off their star left tackle, the money saved allowed them to ink Stingley to a new three-year, $90 million extension, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. The deal could have happened with Tunsil's $28 million cap hit entering 2025.
As Tunsil would put it, his departure was a business decision. Ryans would tend to agree.
"It’s hard to lose Laremy. Everybody understands that Laremy is a good player," Tunsil said. "We’re not trying to turn away good players but it was a difficult one to do but one we felt was in the best interest of our team."
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: DeMeco Ryans breaks down 'tough call' of Texans OT Laremy Tunsil trade
Continue reading...
Fans were stunned earlier this month the Texans shipped off five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders in exchange for four draft picks, including a 2025 third-round selection. Tunsil, who's been the most penalized offensive lineman for two seasons, was still the team's top pass protector, allowing 11 sacks in six seasons following his trade from Miami in 2019.
But Ryans knew that keeping Tunsil would lead to a contract dispute down the line. Money needed to be allocated to younger talents like All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud and Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
That doesn't mean moving off a premier talent like Tunsil was an easy call.
"There’s nothing easy about that because Laremy is such a great player," Ryans told reporters Monday at the annual NFL owners meetings. "Put the tape on Sunday and he’s arguably one of the best one-on-one pass protectors in the NFL, so it’s hard to lose a player of his caliber, but at the same time it was a trade we felt was beneficial to both parties. We were able to get quality draft picks out of the trade and send Laremy to a really good team as well. I think we both benefited from the trade, but it’s going to be hard to replace him as well.”
Earlier this offseason, The MMQB's Albert Breer reported that the was a "toxic culture" surrounding the offensive line this past fall. That eventually led to the team giving up 54 total sacks, which was the third-most in the league, en route to a second AFC South division title.
While the Texans fired offensive line coach Chris Strassuer and moved off three starters, Ryans said the report was "very incorrect" regarding the persona and camaraderie of the offensive line room.
"Our guys in that room they competed, they battled,” Ryans said. “It didn’t go always how we wanted it to go, but there was nothing toxic in the room. Those guys showed up to work every day and those guys were a tight group. They went out to dinners throughout the week. I don’t know where that report came from, but it’s very incorrect. There’s nothing in our building and nothing that I stand for as head coach of the team that we bring in the right people we bring ingood guys and all those guys are great guys.”
With Tunsil gone, Houston must find a long-term left tackle to protect Stroud in Year 3. Veteran Cam Robinson could serve as a stop-gap option for 2025 after signing a one-year deal this offseason, but Houston still must look for a youthful replacement who elevate the offense for several years on a team-friendly contract.
Just because Houston has been linked to offensive linemen in mocks doesn't mean that it'll target a starter with one of its top 100 picks. Ryans mentioned how with the addition of four new players to replace Tunsil, Shaq Mason and Kenyon Green, a battle would ensue for first-team reps.
"The idea behind adding those guys was to just add some veteran guys who have played for a while and have done it the right way, guys play hard and really wanted to enhance competition in the room. We have a good core of young guys, some veteran guys. With the mix of guys, the messaging to everyone is let’s see who our best five on the team will be. Let’s see what that competition will make of us."
While the Texans moved off their star left tackle, the money saved allowed them to ink Stingley to a new three-year, $90 million extension, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. The deal could have happened with Tunsil's $28 million cap hit entering 2025.
As Tunsil would put it, his departure was a business decision. Ryans would tend to agree.
"It’s hard to lose Laremy. Everybody understands that Laremy is a good player," Tunsil said. "We’re not trying to turn away good players but it was a difficult one to do but one we felt was in the best interest of our team."
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: DeMeco Ryans breaks down 'tough call' of Texans OT Laremy Tunsil trade
Continue reading...
