D.J. Humphries appeared in two games for the Kansas City Chiefs last year. Before that, he had been with the Arizona Cardinals since 2015. Now, Humphries lands back in the NFC West.
The San Francisco 49ers signed veteran offensive tackle, former first-round pick, and long-time NFC West player D.J. Humphries, per his agency.
Humphries appeared in two games last season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He signed with Kansas City later on in the year but suffered a hamstring injury against the Los Angeles Chargers. He did not play again until a meaningless game in Week 18.
Humphries was drafted in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He’s no stranger to the NFC West, as he spent every season of his career aside from 2024 with the Cardinals. He started 98 games during eight seasons before an ACL tear forced Arizona to move on from Humphries.
Humphries ultimately signed a $2 million, one-year deal with the Chiefs once he was fully recovered. Not playing for most of the season might have contributed to Humphries, 31, suffering a hamstring injury.
In two games with the Chiefs, Humphries was not good. He missed a combined eight blocks, bringing his blown block percentage to 9.2 — a number that would’ve led the NFL and nearly triple that of Colton McKivitz in 2024. He gave up two sacks and was penalized once.
Humphries will need to prove he can regain his ability from pre-injury. The instant reaction might lead you to believe he is signing to be a swing tackle, but a player who has played as much as Humphries is coming in to start.
Humphries has not played right tackle since 2016. Not that he can’t, but it’s been an eternity since he was asked to play that position. His best chance to see the field, barring a Trent Williams injury, is on the right side.
It does give the 49ers depth at tackle. On Saturday, Kyle Shanahan couldn’t name who the swing tackle would be. At worst, the 49ers now have their answer. Now that we’re post-NFL Draft, the 49ers will not be penalized in the comp pick formula by signing Humphries.