Commanders Plan to Move Brandon Coleman Back to Left Tackle After Laremy Tunsil Injury

Washington’s plan to move Brandon Coleman back to left tackle solves one immediate problem while reopening the competition at left guard.

Jan 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders guard Brandon Coleman (74) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to several reports, the Washington Commanders plan on moving Brandon Coleman back to left tackle following Laremy Tunsil's torn triceps. The move makes complete sense as Washington’s first planned solution at the position. While his official status has not been released, Tunsil is expected to miss a significant portion of the season.

As of now, I’m told the plan is to move Brandon Coleman back to left tackle, where he was the starter in 2024. https://t.co/HkBMKppsf7

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 9, 2026

Coleman has made 20 starts across the regular season and playoffs, with 18 of them coming at left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 390 total snaps in 2025, allowed 11 pressures and only one QB hit, gave up zero sacks, and earned a 64.6 overall grade. While Washington had shifted his role to left guard, pushing him back out to tackle does not mean he will have to learn anything new in the process.

He basically revamped my whole approach to how I treat camp and the season. There’s a lot of stuff that I took from him, from his nutritionist to his strength guy, working with a chef, just taking care of my body a lot better. My prep for practice is a lot different. Seeing how a guy like that prepares, how he treats his body, what he does in his off time and how he recovers — that’s the type of stuff that you can’t get anywhere. There’s only one Laremy Tunsil, in my opinion. The best tackle in the league.

Brandon Coleman on Laremy Tunsil

Brandon Coleman’s Move Changes Two Positions

Coleman was locked into a roster battle with Chris Paul at left guard before the Tunsil injury. Removing Coleman from that battle does not necessarily hand it directly over to Paul either, as shifting him over to tackle changes the picture at left guard. Paul is the most obvious person that stands to benefit, but Washington has a lot of positional flexibility in that area, so there could be plenty of options for Paul to compete with.

The ripples of Laremy Tunsil's injury will be felt until he returns, but the team is at least positioned to reshuffle what they already have. Now, we all will be waiting to see Coleman take the first-team left tackle reps when Washington returns to practice and what the corresponding first-team alignment looks like at left guard.

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