Chiefs Free Agent Decision Already Looks Like Massive Disaster
By Joe Summers
The Chiefs made a major decision to sign LT D.J. Humphries in the middle of the year following struggles from Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia, but Kansas City could already be regretting that decision.
Humphries, who signed a contract worth up to $4.5 million with incentives, suffered an injury during his debut against the Chargers. Andy Reid's comments suggested Humphries could be unavailable against the Browns and if he doesn't have time to get comfortable with the offense, it'll be hard to trust him in the playoffs against elite pass rushers.
Since he hadn't played in nearly a year, early struggles were expected. Nonetheless, the Chiefs don't have the luxury of time at this point in the season.
Chiefs Could Already Regret D.J. Humphries Signing
According to NGS, #Chiefs D.J. Humphries allowed 8 pressures on 40 pass-blocking snaps in WK 14 against the LAC the 2nd-most pressures and the 2nd-highest pressure rate 20.0% allowed by a Chiefs LT in a game this season. Humphries allowed a pressure to 5 different LAC defenders.
— Justin Churchill (@ChurchillAtoZ) December 9, 2024
It's worth noting that Patrick Mahomes seemed pleased with Humphries' performance overall and he has not been ruled out of Sunday's game yet. After the Browns, the Chiefs face the Texans, Steelers, and Broncos. All of those teams have strong defenses, so Humphries' health is of the utmost importance.
Kansas City will play three games in 11 days, causing Humphries' injury to potentially be a bigger issue than normal. Morris played well in limited snaps once Humphries went down, yet it's still hard to trust him with the postseason around the corner.
Here's some DJ Humphries pass protection reps from Sunday. Some good and some bad. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/xgupQZ7X5Z
— Price Carter (@priceacarter) December 10, 2024
The Chiefs seemingly chose Humphries over 2023 starter Donovan Smith, but that may have been a mistake. Humphries is a former Pro Bowler with a strong track record, though there is virtually no margin for error with so little time remaining in the campaign.
Hopefully, Humphries will get healthy quickly and return to the field as soon as possible. The best version of this offensive line requires a healthy and comfortable Humphries, especially considering he's still learning the offense and building chemistry with his teammates.
So far, the early returns on the signing aren't promising but luckily, there's plenty of time to get things back on track.
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