The Cowboys’ path through the NFC East may have just opened up a little more.
Washington took a major hit over the weekend when 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. For the Commanders, that’s a brutal loss in front of Jayden Daniels. For Dallas, it matters because the Cowboys face Washington in Weeks 2 and 18.
That makes Tunsil’s absence more than just a Washington problem. If the Commanders are forced to turn to Brandon Coleman or Andrew Wylie at left tackle, Daniels is suddenly working without his key blindside blocker. The report didn’t include a firm timetable, but the phrase “significant portion” could point to more than half the season.
That’s a big deal for a quarterback coming off an injury-riddled year of his own. Daniels was already going to need help from his supporting cast, and Tunsil was supposed to be part of that safety net. Without him, the passing game looks like it will have a much harder time holding up.
The timing also matters for Dallas. Analysts have already been leaning toward the Cowboys as the NFC East pick for 2026, with the Eagles still the biggest obstacle and the Giants still sorting out their young offensive core.
Washington had been the other team with a real shot to make things interesting. Now that margin for error gets a lot smaller.
If the Cowboys can handle the Giants and then take advantage of a Tunsil-less Commanders team, a 2-0 start is there for the taking. And with the Eagles looming as the main showdown on the schedule, Dallas may have just seen one more door swing open in its favor.
There’s still plenty to like about Washington’s defense, too. Fans are already excited about defensive coordinator Christian Parker, Caleb Downs looks like the real thing, Malachi Lawrence could be a Defensive Rookie of the Year sleeper, and a full season of Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark could wreck plenty of offensive lines.
But the headline out of Washington is still the same: losing Tunsil is a gut punch. And for the Cowboys, it’s another reason the road back to the top of the NFC East looks a little easier.
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For Ole Miss, the broader takeaway is what this kind of list says about the road ahead in the SEC picture, where the Rebels are part of a crowded field trying to measure themselves against the leagues best. Texas sits at No. 4 and Georgia at No. 5, and the poll also features Texas A&M, Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama, while Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Florida and South Carolina were left out. The early national conversation is already tilting toward conference heavyweights, and the Rebels will spend the months ahead trying to make sure they stay in that same conversation. [Read more 🡒]