(SportsRadio 610) - Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil joined the team for mandatory minicamp this week and his teammates are glad to have him back.
The two-time Pro Bowler opted out of the voluntary workouts over the past few weeks, but did not appear to miss a step on the practice field Tuesday morning.
Second-year quarterback Davis Mills said Tunsil looked great and had a solid feel of the new offense they will be running under first-year coordinator Pep Hamilton, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator over the offseason.
"He looked great," Mills said. "Obviously, he wasn't here for most of the offseason but he came back and really there was no time lost. He came in with a really solid feel of the playbook. I thought he stepped in today, performed extremely well. We're excited to have him back."
Tunsil played in just five games last season before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. He was named to the Pro Bowl in the two prior seasons, his first in Houston.
In March, the Texans' restructured Tunsil's contract to clear $8.4 million in salary cap space. The three-year extension he signed in 2020 was worth $66 million, with $50 million guaranteed.
There were also significant changes to the offensive line, with Houston drafting left guard Kenyon Green, allowing Tytus Howard to move back to his natural position at right tackle, and signing veteran right guard A.J. Cann in free agency.
Texans head coach Lovie Smith, who was the defensive coordinator last year, called Tunsil's arrival "the final piece" to the puzzle they are putting together as a team this offseason.
"We've been communicating with him throughout but it was good to see one of your best football players, one of the best offensive tackles in football," Smith said. "You add him to our team, we're a better football team. It's as simple as that. It's voluntary work in the offseason for most of this.
"In an ideal world, yeah, I wanted Laremy to be here every day. But sometimes guys aren't here. When they come here, we're not going to make him change his last name or anything like that. We're going to let him keep the same number and he's going to help us win a lot of games this year."
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