Laremy Tunsil & Tytus Howard: Top Offensive Tackle Duo In 2022?

Before the 2021 season, it seemed like left tackle Laremy Tunsil and right tackle Tytus Howard had the potential to become one of the best offensive tackle duos in the league.

The 2021 season is what had most of us scratching our heads in confusion. Tunsil played in only five games and the Houston Texans had Howard playing guard for a majority of the year.

When on the field and healthy, Tunsil is one of the best left tackles in football. Since being acquired by the Texans in 2019, Tunsil has been to two Pro Bowls and has been a key part of keeping the quarterback upright.

Tunsil missed 12 games in 2021 due to a thumb injury. This was his first time playing in less than 14 games in his NFL career. Tunsil has been training by himself for a majority of the offseason until he just recently attended the Texans mandatory minicamp.

Lovie Smith his a huge supporter of Tunsil and is happy to have the franchise left tackle back with the team. Gaining chemistry with Davis Mills will be key to a step forward for the Texans offense in 2022.

Howard has been a solid player for Houston since being drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Howard has looked great at times and has shown consistent flashes of becoming a franchise right tackle.

The 2021 Texans staff had Howard switch from his natural tackle position to guard. Clearly Howard struggled at guard throughout the year until injuries occurred and that caused Howard to play left tackle. After moving to left tackle for four games, Howard looked like a brand-new player. He was playing some of his best football and it was clear to everyone that he should be back at tackle moving forward.

The four games Howard was back at tackle, he produced elite pass blocking grades of 86.4, 83.8, 81.5 & 87.4, according to Pro Football Focus.

Texans fans have been begging to see Howard back at tackle throughout the entire offseason and it seems like that will be the case moving forward. Howard has been teasing a return to right tackle on Twitter for the last couple of months and Lovie Smith confirmed the move back to right tackle on The Cris Collinsworth Podcast.

In 2022, Tunsil and Howard have the chance to be one of the best offensive tackle duos in all of football. Both players have shown the ability to be dominant week in and week out and their success will be key to a more balanced Texans offense.