Commanders LT Laremy Tunsil's impressive dedication to being the best

The Washington Commanders headed into the 2025 offseason determined to improve their offensive line. This came right after Washington shocked the NFL world and reached the NFC Championship Game — one year removed from going 4-13.

The Commanders were rumored to be interested in Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley if he hit free agency. However, just before free agency began, Baltimore struck a deal with Stanley, leaving left tackle options bare. When the legal tampering period opened before free agency, Washington GM Adam Peters surprised everyone, trading multiple draft picks to the Houston Texans for five-time Pro Bowl LT Laremy Tunsil.

Tunsil was 30 at the time of the trade, but seeing how long and how well Trent Williams continues to play, led Washington to believe Tunsil was in the middle of his prime years. With two years remaining on his contract, Tunsil had a lot to prove, too.

In 2025, the Commanders struggled, going 5-12, as several top players, including quarterback Jayden Daniels, missed significant time with injuries. Almost everything went wrong for Washington in 2025 — almost everything. Not Tunsil.

Tunsil was his usual elite self, proving that Peters made the right move in sending multiple picks — and no first-rounders — to the Texans. Peters was adamant after the season that extending Tunsil was among the team’s top priorities.

In March, the Commanders made good on their word, extending Tunsil on a two-year deal worth $60.2 million. Once again, Tunsil became the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman. In fact, Tunsil became the first OL in NFL history to average $20 million per season, $25 million and $30 million.

One thing no one questioned about Tunsil was his pass protection. No one was better. Last season, Tunsil earned praise from coaches and teammates for his dominance in the running game.

Tunsil recently sat down with Brandon Thorn of the “Trench Warfare” newsletter and the “Pass Pro Lab” podcast. One thing stood out from the interview that defines Tunsil’s greatness.

After years of getting beaten inside, a frustrated Tunsil reached out to former NFL offensive lineman Mike Wahle for some help.

“My overall approach to pass pro is so simple,” Tunsil said. “Let me give a shoutout to the coach that I’ve been working with since 2020. His name is Mike Wahle. He’s a former player, I think he played with the Carolina Panthers and the Green Bay Packers.”

Tunsil then explained how Wahle helped him.

One of the most interesting parts of my conversation with Laremy Tunsil was hearing him discuss the adjustment that changed his career.

After years of getting beat inside, Tunsil began working with former NFL OL Mike Wahle, who introduced him to a line set influenced by Hall of… pic.twitter.com/GKCBy7omzL

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) June 11, 2026

Tunsil said he learned a pass pro set from Wahle that Hall of Fame left tackle Walter Jones used throughout his career. Wahle was a teammate of Jones in Seattle in 2008. Tunsil then breaks down the strategy and why it’s so effective for him.

It’s impressive to hear that Tunsil, who in 2020 was already a five-year pro, was reaching out to independent coaches and former players for advice on how to take his game to another level. That’s impressive.

Tunsil’s metrics were elite in pass protection and run blocking in 2025. While Washington may have felt burned from the Marshon Lattimore trade, the Tunsil deal is one Peters would make over and over. The primary reason the Commanders acquired Tunsil was to protect Daniels. Daniels suffered some injuries last season, but none were on Tunsil or the offensive line. Washington hopes Tunsil and Daniels are on the field for all 17 games in 2026.

If you want to watch Thorn’s interview with Tunsil, you can do so Commanders LT Laremy Tunsil's impressive dedication. It’s a fascinating watch, and no one analyzes offensive line play better than Thorn.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Laremy Tunsil dedicated to being great