Nine-year veteran D.J. Humphries is arguably the best offensive tackle left on the free agent market, but he could join the Giants in the next couple of days. A first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Humphries notably earned the ire of then-head coach Bruce Arians for his atrocious play and couldn’t earn a spot on the active roster. However, the Florida product turned it around in 2016, establishing himself as a reliable starter while earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2021. In 2023, the offensive tackle started 15 games while recording an unremarkable 62.5 PFF grade.
Arizona released him in the offseason and Humphries has struggled to find a new home. However, that could change in the coming days, as the New York Giants reportedly brought Humphries in for a free agent visit. This comes after the team lost superstar offensive tackle Andrew Thomas to a foot injury, and the signing could be bad news for tackle-desperate teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints.
Former Cardinals first-round pick D.J. Humphries, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season, is visiting today with the New York Giants. The Giants lost OT Andrew Thomas to season-ending foot surgery, and Humphries played left tackle in Arizona for nine seasons. pic.twitter.com/U46eFfAvpl
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 22, 2024
D.J. Humphries Visits With Giants, Not Chiefs, Patriots, Saints
The Kansas City Chiefs have the best interior offensive line in football but need more help at the tackle position. After unsuccessfully buying low on Donovan Smith in 2023, the reigning Super Bowl champions selected Kingsley Suamataia in the 2024 NFL Draft to be their left tackle of the future. While it’s too early to call him a bust, it’s clear the BYU product isn’t quite ready to face off against NFL competition. As of this posting, Suamataia’s 41.2 PFF grade would rank 75th out of 76 tackles if he had enough snaps to qualify. While Wanya Morris is holding down the fort, the Chiefs offensive line would improve if the team stole D.J. Humphries from the Giants.
Despite their 6-0 record, the Kansas City Chiefs are not their usual unstoppable selves on the offensive side of the ball. Patrick Mahomes has more interceptions (eight) than touchdowns (six) and the advanced metrics paint him as a good-but-not-great starter. While the wide receiver injuries shoulder most of the responsibility for this relative drop in production, the subpar tackle play isn’t innocent. Jawaan Taylor is too expensive to bench, but Humphries could easily compete with Morris for the starting job. Seeing as he shouldn’t cost much more than the league minimum, the Chiefs have no excuse to not kick the tires on the veteran.
Other Landing Spots
The New England Patriots will not make the playoffs this year, but they still have a good reason to try and steal D.J. Humphries from the New York Giants. After starting the season on the bench, third-overall pick Drake Maye is now under center and living up to his draft capital. Through three appearances and two starts, the UNC product has completed 64.1% of his passes for 541 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions despite playing with arguably the worst supporting cast in the league. New England might have their long-awaited heir to Tom Brady, but they’ll need to improve the protection if they want him to reach his ceiling.
New Orleans, meanwhile, is clinging to what’s left of their playoff hopes. At 2-5, the injury-riddled Saints still have an outside shot at winning a weak NFC South, but they must act quickly. First-round pick Taliese Fuaga is doing a solid job at the left tackle spot, but right tackle Trevor Penning remains a liability. D.J. Humphries spent most of his career on the left side of the offensive line, but the potential Giants signing has experience on the right side. He should be able to step in and make life a little easier for Derek Carr or fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler.
Main Photo: Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports
