D.J.

Humphries

The Chiefs also removed LT D.J. Humphries (hamstring) from their injury report after both were listed on the report to start the week. Despite being listed on the report, Jones and Humphries were full participants in practice all week long, meaning there’s little to no concern about their health heading into Saturday’s game against the Texans.

The Chiefs were hopeful that Jones may be able to go, but the calf injury and the short layoff made it impossible for the 30-year-old to go. There’s a good chance he’ll be able to play if Week 18 against the Broncos game if that contest has any significance. The Chiefs will miss Humphries for a third straight game, but Jawaan Taylor (knee) is active for the Christmas Day contest.

Patrick Mahomes, Hollywood Brown, and Harrison Butker are all officially active. Humphries has not practiced since suffering his hamstring injury towards the end of Week 14. Conner (concussion) did not practice at all this week. All other players listed are healthy scratches.

Humphries continues to struggle with hamstring problems, and with back-to-back short-week games on tap for the two-time defending champions, resting Humphries today is probably the best course of action in hopes he is ready for Saturday against the Texans. Patrick Mahomes’ protection will remain a glaring issue vs. Myles Garrett and company.

Humphries’ return is evidently short-lived. After playing his first game all season in Week 14, Humphries is likely to be ruled inactive for Week 15. The development drastically impacts the Chiefs’ ability to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside. Among NFL teams in Weeks 1-13, the Chiefs’ collective left tackle spot grades out as the league’s worst unit, earning a 48.2 PFF pass-blocking grade.

Humphries, starting the first game of his season after recovering from a late-season ACL tear, injured the hamstring in the fourth quarter against the Chargers and left the game. If he were to miss time, the Chiefs would likely have to go back to Wanya Morris at left tackle.

The deal runs through the end of the 2024 NFL season and contains $2 million in guaranteed money. This is a great move for the 9-1 Chiefs, who are almost assuredly headed to the playoffs once again. Humphries played well as a pass blocker last season before tearing his ACL in Week 17.

Humphries is a 10-year vet of the league who has spent his entire year with the Cardinals. He started all 15 games he appeared in last season and earned a PFF pass-blocking grade of 68.4 while allowing four sacks on 28 pressures. Humphries visited with the Giants in late October but could prove valuable to a team late in the season should an injury arise. Now available to sign and participate in practices, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Humphries land with a team in the coming days/weeks.

Humphries tore his ACL in Week 17 and has been rehabbing it on his own. The Giants are in need of tackle depth with Andrew Thomas dealing with a long-term injury, Joseph Ezeudu a disaster, and Evan Neal apparently not in New York’s short-term plans.

The Cardinals’ 2015 first-rounder, Humphries had been the team’s primary left tackle for most of the past 7-8 years. That doesn’t say nine seasons because Humphries, of course, was infamously a healthy scratch his entire rookie campaign. The 30-year-old struggled with injuries for several years before finally getting fully comfortable on the blindside. That changed last New Year’s Eve when he tore his ACL. That made cutting him loose and recouping his $9.043 million in salary cap savings all too easy of a decision for Arizona. This can be a brutal game sometimes. Now Humphries is going to have trouble landing any guaranteed money for 2024, and may not find a new home until later in the summer.