Maybe the one player outside of Jayden Daniels that the Washington Commanders couldn't afford to lose was star left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Unfortunately, they've lost him as the 32-year-old, who signed a lucrative extension this offseason, suffered a torn triceps in training camp practice on Saturday. He'll almost surely require surgery for the injury and, as such, is now set to miss most of the season. That's something that the Commanders need to address — and quickly.
While Washington has 2024 third-round pick Brandon Coleman and veterans Andrew Wylie and Trent Scott on the roster, they need their offensive line to be in top shape as Daniels and Co. hope for an offensive resurgence this season. They could wish and hope on the in-house options, but the more prudent play would be to call the Jacksonville Jaguars about long-rumored trade candidate Walker Little.
Commanders trade package for Walker Little after Laremy Tunsil's injury
Little, who signed a three-year, $40.5 million extension before the final year of his rookie contract in 2024, has ostensibly been replaced on the Jags, at least when the team is fully healthy. As Cole Van Lanen is still returning from an injury, though, the Jaguars have held onto Little in an attempt to try and give them better depth and more flexibility to not rush Van Lanen back.
Having said that, the Jaguars could get out of the final two years of Little's contract with little penalty and re-attribute some of their finances in doing so. They have a valuable chip in a quality, even if not top-end, starting tackle in the NFL and could cash in a draft pick by moving him while saving money. Given the Tunsil injury, Washington now looks like a prime candidate to make such a deal.
Given that the Commanders would be taking on the contract, that's why the sixth-round pick is ultimately the return for Jacksonville in this deal. However, the desperation in Washington could conceivably push the value up to a more mid-round pick, especially something like a fourth-rounder, while Washington would get a sixth-round pick along with Little in return.
Why the Commanders make this trade
In a word, desperation. There's a reason that the Commanders went out and traded for Laremy Tunsil. They recognized that their tackle situation was nowhere near what it needs to be, and keeping Jayden Daniels healthy and upright is of the utmost importance to this football team realizing its expectations, namely getting back to competing for a playoff berth as they did in Daniels' rookie season.
Josh Conerly can play on the right side or potentially move to the left. But whatever the case, there shouldn't be a ton of faith in the other options. This is a situation that quickly becomes dire without Tunsil in the mix. Furthermore, it's also a spot where the Commanders should be quick to make a deal happen so that Little can get acclimated while it's still early in training camp.
The Commanders hold all of their picks in the 2027 draft, but to make that draft class meaningful as they continue to hopefully build around Daniels, they need to make sure the offensive line functional. There's a real concern that wouldn't be the case if they just move forward with the backups already on the roster, which makes Little (or any other potential trade target) and immediately viable option to trade a draft pick for.
Why the Jaguars make this trade
Again, timing could be everything for the Jaguars in this deal. Cole Van Lanen pretty much stole the starting job from Little, which has made the latter somewhat expendable. But as Van Lanen is still getting back to 100 percent health, Jacksonville is smart to hold onto Little as a proverbial just-in-case type of option for them in front of Trevor Lawrence.
Having said that, if the organization is comfortable in Van Lanen's rehabbing and confident in his return to the field, then trading Little becomes a no-brainer. He holds a $14.5 million cap hit this year and a $15.55 million cap hit next year. That's money all but wasted on a backup tackle for this particular team, so they'd be getting out from a good portion of that money while gaining more draft capital along the way as well.
It's not entirely necessary for the Jaguars to trade him, especially with the health of Van Lanen. But when the chips fall and if this line is healthy as they make their way through the preseason, then trading Little becomes the smartest course of action for them given all of the circumstances.
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