Welp, it’s that kind of year for the Houston Texans and Laremy Tunsil.
On Sunday, Laremy Tunsil left the game with a hand injury. The Texans would almost beat the New England Patriots, but the result ended in a loss. To add insult to injury, Houston Texans Head Coach David Culley announced today that Laremy Tunsil will have thumb surgery and that Tunsil is going to be out four weeks.
This puts the 4th-year veteran out of Louisville, Geron Christian Sr. as the next man up from the depth chart. He’ll have the heavy task of protecting Davis Mills’ blindside, and he’ll be going up against an Indianapolis Colts defensive front seven that features DeForest Buckner and Darius Leonard.
Some may say that he could just get it taped and play through it. As an offensive lineman, your thumb is the one digit of your hand that really “locks in” your grip on a defender. You can squeeze your fingers all you want, but once the thumb is involved, it helps keep your hands on the defender’s numbers. It’s a brutal injury for offensive linemen to go through.
David Culley announced this morning that Laremy Tunsil is set to have surgery on his injured left thumb and will likely be out four weeks. #Texans
— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) October 13, 2021
Laremy Tunsil injury shortens the depth on the offensive line
The Houston Texans fans have been extremely vocal on how much the offensive line hasn’t given either of the Texans’ quarterbacks (Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills) much time this season. This is going to put the offensive line through a daunting gauntlet of defensive linemen, such as:
- Chandler Jones
- J.J. Watt
- Aaron Donald
- Leonard Floyd
- Jaelan Phillips
These are just some of the big-name players that the Texans will have to face as Tunsil recovers. How will the offense change to help Davis Mills get the ball out quickly? What takes the pressure off a bad offensive line?
The answer: fast pass plays, screens, and draws. Anything to help limit the amount of full-speed rushes by the defense will help the offense become better during this time. Expect to see some “chip” blocks from the Texans’ tight ends as well.