Laremy Tunsil Named Texans' 'Non-QB MVP': NFL's Best O-Lineman?
Even though Laremy Tunsil is arguably the best at his position in the NFL, the Houston Texans left tackle has a slightly-above-zero-percent chance of winning MVP. After all, the last non-quarterback to do so was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.
Despite that, though, there is no denying just how valuable the offensive lineman is to any success the Texans might have this season. He's so valuable, in fact, that NFL.com named him Houston's non-quarterback MVP heading into the season.
"Even amid a roster refresh, the Texans made sure not to ship Tunsil out, inking him to a three-year, $75 million extension in March, and it might have been the best decision of the offseason," NFL.com writes.
Locking Tunsil in for the foreseeable future assured the Texans kept one of the best left tackles in the league in Houston, a position that is notoriously hard to hit on in the draft.
Tunsil's importance cannot be understated, for multiple reasons. Most importantly being, of course, the success of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud, drafted second overall, will rely on the veteran tackle to keep him upright.
Not only that, though, but Tunsil will play a big role in the development of second-year offensive lineman Kenyon Green - who showed flashes of his potential as a rookie last season.
"The Texans have labored to get the O-line right for years now, and Tunsil also must serve another important role: mentoring left guard Kenyon Green, who is coming off a challenging rookie season," NFL.com writes.
"If Tunsil can keep blocking at a high level, keep Stroud and the QBs clean and help advance Green's progression, he could be the most valuable player on the Houston roster."
Elite offensive lineman don't grow on trees, especially when it comes to finding a left tackle. Having Tunsil remedies that for the Texans, though, as the veteran is a key cog in of a team looking to make a leap forward this season.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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