The Commanders took a hit over the weekend that could ripple straight through the NFC East race. Five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn triceps and will miss at least a significant portion of the regular season, according to Mike Garafolo and Steve Wyche of NFL Network.
That matters everywhere in Washington, but especially for Jayden Daniels. Tunsil was supposed to be the blindside anchor, and now the Commanders may have to turn to Brandon Coleman or Andrew Wylie at left tackle. If Tunsil ends up missing most of the season, that’s a major problem for a passing game that needed stability.
For the Cowboys, the timing is hard to ignore. Dallas gets Washington in Weeks 2 and 18, and that suddenly looks a lot more manageable.
If the Cowboys handle the Giants and then catch a Tunsil-less Commanders team early, a 2-0 start is there for the taking. That late meeting could also matter if Dallas is trying to build a playoff push.
Before the injury, the Cowboys still had to circle Washington and Philadelphia as the real threats in the division. The Eagles remain the headline matchup, and those games are shaping up to be the main event in the NFC East. Washington, at least for now, has gone from dangerous to difficult to trust.
Daniels is also coming off an injury-riddled season of his own, so losing his best offensive lineman only makes the challenge steeper. Without Tunsil, the Commanders’ offense is going to have a much harder time protecting the quarterback and keeping the passing game on schedule.
There’s still plenty for Washington fans to like on the other side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Christian Parker is already drawing praise, Caleb Downs is looking like the real deal, Malachi Lawrence is being mentioned as a sleeper for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and a full season of Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark could wreck plenty of offensive lines.
But the headline here is simple: Washington just took a gut punch, and Dallas’ path to the NFC East got a little cleaner because of it.
In Other News...
Cowboys Camp Battles Are Already Reshaping Key Spots On This Roster
Two weeks into training camp, the Cowboys have already started sorting out some of the bigger questions on a defense that is being reshaped under Christian Parker. After the eighth practice, a handful of players have made early impressions in a good way, with Marist Liufau, T.J. Bass, Sam Howell and Shavon Revel Jr. among those drawing notice as Dallas works through the kind of evaluations that can end up mattering once roster cuts arrive.
The other side of that ledger is just as important, and it has left a few established names with work to do before the team gets into the regular season mindset. Jonathan Mingo and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are among the players trying to strengthen their cases, and the next stretch of camp should help clarify which of these early standouts can turn momentum into real roster security. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Camp Injury Report Brings Relief As One Roster Battle Heats Up
The Cowboys eighth padded practice of training camp brought a small dose of good news on the injury front, with the session ending without any new setbacks. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was added to the report, but he is working with the rehab group, while Jalen Thompson was back on the field in pads after working his way back from a hip flexor injury.
Just as important for the roster picture, the injury list is starting to thin at a few spots, with Jaishawn Barham, Devin Moore and Jonathan Bullard all making progress from groin injuries. That matters because camp is moving deeper into the kind of practices where availability starts to shape the competition, and every healthy body is another chance for a player to separate in a battle that is beginning to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Face A Running Back Temptation They May Need To Resist
The Cowboys backup running back race has been one of the more interesting camp storylines, with Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, Israel Abanikanda and Malik Davis all working to carve out a role. It is the kind of competition that can be hard to ignore this time of year, especially for a team that always has to keep an eye on depth behind its lead backs and on how the roster may need to be shaped before the season settles in.
Across the league, though, there is already a temptation for teams to look elsewhere when a name pops up on the wire, and Dallas has to be careful not to chase every opportunity. The better move may be to keep sorting through its own group and, if a change is truly needed, look toward a more proven veteran rather than disrupt a battle that is still giving the Cowboys useful information about what they have in-house. [Read more 🡒]