Insider Exposes Surprising Reason for Texans' Polarizing Trade

An NFL insider has unveiled the Houston Texans made this polarizing trade.

Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (78) yells after the Texans failed to score on a two-point conversion attempt in the second half of the game between host Miami Dolphins and the Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, November 27, 2022, in Miami Gardens, FL. Final score, Miami Dolphins, 30, Houston Texans, 15. | ANDRES LEIVA/PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Houston Texans made a whole lot of people scratch their heads earlier this month when they traded offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders.

Tunsil had made five Pro Bowls in six seasons with the Texans, and given how much Houston's offensive line struggled in 2024, you would think the Texans would have retained him.

However, Houston moved him to open up some money, but also for another reason: to help repair the culture of the locker room.

"In short, DeMeco Ryans feels like the culture he wants across the board is in place on defense but not on offense and that a toxic atmosphere in the offensive line room was a root cause," wrote Albert Breer of Spors Illustrated. "And while Tunsil wasn’t a bad guy (he was actually well-liked), he wasn’t the type of leader to turn the ship—and needed to be as one of its captains."

It's also important to note that the Texans also traded away Kenyon Green and cut Shaq Mason, so it wasn't like Tunsil was the lone member of the group who was sent packing.

Houston signed Cam Robinson to replace Tunsil, and it will almost certainly be addressing the rest of the unit in the NFL Draft next month.

Still, this is obviously a significant concern heading into 2025, as quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked 52 times this past season, and things don't appear to be getting any better.

The Texans simply need to hope they find some gems in the draft.

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