The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season last weekend. They react with a potential shock at the most vulnerable point of their offensive.
The two-time defending champions have signed former Arizona Cardinals left tackle DJ Humphries, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The deal will reportedly be worth up to $4.5 million by the end of the season.
Humphries, 30, is a former Pro Bowler at left tackle but hasn’t played at all this year after tearing his ACL late last season. The Cardinals released him in March, left him to rehab on his own, and then found another team. Humphries was medically cleared to play Friday and wasted no time in finding a candidate with a potential opening at left tackle.
It’s no secret that the Chiefs have been shakier than their 9-1 record would suggest, and the play of current starting left tackle Wanya Morris has been a problem. The 2023 third baseman is ranked by Pro Football Focus as the 62nd best offensive tackle in the NFL out of 77 players.
If Humphries is healthy, he projects as a significant upgrade for the Chiefs at the left tackle position, which has been shaky for them in recent years.
Humphries was a first-round pick for the Cardinals in 2015 and developed into a Pro Bowler in 2021 after overcoming some injury issues. He signed a three-year, $66.6 million extension with Arizona in 2022, but was cut before the final year of that deal.
Now he’ll get a chance to re-establish value and possibly play a role in winning a third straight Super Bowl. There are worse ways to get back on the scene than to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.