The Washington Commanders suffered a significant loss over the weekend when left tackle Laremy Tunsil left Saturday's practice with a torn triceps that is expected to keep him sidelined for an extended time. It forced the team to find a replacement while he recovers from surgery -- not an easy thing to do with a player who has been to multiple Pro Bowls and is considered to be one of the best at his position.

There is no 1-to-1 replacement for Tunsil, but the Commanders have already found a solution. Brandon Coleman, a 2024 third-round pick from TCU, has moved over to left tackle and was working with the starters during the Commanders' Monday practice. He spent last season playing guard after the Commanders traded for Tunsil and drafted Josh Conerly Jr., but the team has faith Coleman can slide back into his original role, with head coach Dan Quinn saying that Coleman has put together an "excellent" offseason.

And Coleman believes he is ready for the job as well after improving his skill set over the spring, and he's determined to not take the opportunity for granted.

"It's always great when they trust you," Coleman said. "I'm confident in them, and they are in me, and that just helps you when you come out here and get back under your feet."

Coleman was the Commanders' original plan for the position. There was some ambiguity among scouts on his role as an NFL player, but general manager Adam Peters and Quinn felt like he could be a quality tackle because of his size (6-foot-4 ½, 313 pounds), nearly 35-inch arms and smooth footwork. Although he missed some time in training camp, he ended up winning the job and received the seventh-best offensive grade among his fellow rookie offensive tackles from Pro Football Focus.

The additions of Tunsil at left tackle and Conerly at right during the 2025 offseason forced Coleman to move to guard, where the Commanders felt he could still contribute because of his physicality in the running game. Coleman missed most of training camp with an injury, though, which contributed to 2022 seventh-round pick Chris Paul winning the job at left guard. Coleman was limited to a backup role, but he did start the last three games at left tackle and allowed just two pressures on 87 pass blocking snaps.

The transition back to tackle, Coleman said, is "kinda like riding a bike." he looked natural working at the position during Monday's practice. He was serviceable on run plays during team drills, and he held his own in the passing game. He matched up against Odafe Oweh during pass protection drills and forced the outside linebacker to run around the pocket, which would count as a win in a game scenario. It was typical of how Coleman has performed throughout training camp, which is why the battle between him and Paul has been so entertaining.

"We know that he's ready for it," Quinn said. "He's put in an excellent offseason."

Quinn has noticed some changes in Coleman since he was previously the long-term starter as a rookie. He went through some adversity in his second season, Quinn said, and the resilience to endure those issues helped him fine tune some of his skill set. The biggest thing Coleman learned: trust himself.

"I have the athleticism," Coleman said. "I have the strength ... I'm able to do whatever I want to. It's just about getting the mind right. That's what I worked on last year all the time where I wasn't playing, and then being able to apply it in the game all offseason."

Coleman has also worked on the other parts of being a professional athlete. He spent a month working with Tunsil in Alabama and learning how "one of the greatest tackles to ever do it does it." He got a better understanding of how to be more mindful of what he was eating and how to rehab so he could have a longer career. He wanted to give himself a chance to have the career Tunsil has had over the last decade, so he had to reflect and be honest about what lifestyle changes he needed to make to achieve that.

And he's still got the athleticism to be the tackle the Commanders thought he would be when they drafted him.

"My feet are good," Coleman said with a smile, "so being able to dance with those guys, I'm able to keep up. And now that I'm getting my hands under control in terms of knowing where to punch, knowing what I wanna do, that stuff just helps out my feet even more."

The transition from tackle to guard and back has not been a difficult one for Coleman. He tried to stay prepared for any possibility, even taking reps at center, because "you never know what happens." He wanted to keep the motions required for the position fresh in his mind so that he could fit into whatever role he's needed in and not require much of a ramp-up to get comfortable.

That, plus his athleticism, should help him return to tackle this offseason in a new offense. Offensive coordinator David Blough is confident Coleman can handle all the responsibilities that come with being a left tackle in his scheme, which requires offensive linemen to work well in space, because he has seen Coleman's progress over the last few weeks.

"He's played really well at left tackle over the last few years," Blough said, "and we're excited to feature some of the things he does well, too."

And while losing Tunsil is not ideal, they at least feel they have a player who can handle himself.

"I think you've seen a young man grow here," Blough said of Coleman. "I think he has demonstrated everything that we're looking for to protect that side for us."