HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- Texans Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn UCL in his thumb and will eventually need surgery, but is expected to play through the injury, according to multiple reports.
Tunsil left Sunday's game in the second quarter after trying to block on a run play. It was unclear from video whether Tunsil was cut blocking, or simply fell down.
Either way, Tunsil immediately motioned toward the Texans' sideline and was substituted for Geron Christian. Tunsil only returned briefly to protect on an extra point attempt.
With right tackle Marcus Cannon already missing the game with a back injury, this meant the Texans played most of the game with backups at both tackle positions - Christian on the left side and Charlie Heck on the right.
While Tunsil is expected to play through the injury, Christian is still an option at left tackle. The fourth-year pro started six games there last year for the Washington Football Team.
After the game Sunday, Texans head coach David Culley said Tunsil's thumb injury was bad enough he could not punch at the line of scrimmage.
Last year, Tunsil signed a three-year, $66 million contact extension, which guaranteed $50 million. He has made the Pro Bowl in both of his two seasons in Houston.
Given that he was traded from the Miami Dolphins two years ago with the goal of protecting then-franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, and the Texans were legitimate contenders at the time, it stands to reason Tunsil could be an attractive trade asset as the Texans rebuild the roster.
The Texans turned his 2021 salary into a signing bonus to create cap space for this season. It lowered his 2021 cap hit to $9.2 million, but that number jumps to $26.1 million in 2022.
Brandon Scott manages digital content for SportsRadio 610. Follow him on Twitter @brandonkscott.
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