Insider Staunchly Defends Texans for Controversial Move

An NFL insider has defended the Houston Texans' most controversial decision of the offseason.

Oct 8, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans on the sidelines against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Houston Texans made one of the more controversial moves of the offseason earlier this month, trading star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders.

The decision was largely criticized by fans and pundits who wondered why the Texans would jettison their best offensive lineman in the midst of their dire offensive line problems.

However, Cody Stoots of Houston Football feels that Houston actually came to a sound conclusion regarding Tunsil and defended the trade during a question and answer session with Battle Red Blog.

"The Houston Texans made a solid decision and got a solid return," Stoots said. "They traded a player they wouldn’t be able to pay when the huge contracts started coming due. I liked the multiple picks versus the one singular pick in a higher round. They maximized the return by not waiting. They will have a long road to replace him permanently, but I have long thought being great at left tackle is an overrated element of team-building. Houston seems comfortable with the whole is greater than the sum of its parts on the offensive line."

The Texans opened up $13.9 million in cap room by trading Tunsil and also got out of the final year of his contract, which contained at $21.4 million cap hit.

Tunsil did make five Pro Bowls in six seasons with Houston, so he was absolutely a productive member of the Texans' offensive line. That being said, he is now 30 years old and began to show some signs of decline this past season.

Moving Tunsil may not look like a great decision up front, but Houston may be happier in the long run provided that it find the right answers in the NFL Draft next month.

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