Commanders To Sign T D.J. Humphries

A veteran of three NFL teams, Humphries has started in 101 of 108 appearances during his nine-year career. He has spent most of time in Arizona, where he entered the league as the 24th overall pick in 2015.

Despite Humphries’ first-round status, he struggled so badly in practice that the Cardinals left him inactive for every game during his rookie season. He became a full-time starter at right tackle during a 13-game showing in 2016, though, and then took over on the left side for the rest of his run in Arizona.

Humphries made his lone Pro Bowl in 2021, but a back injury limited him to eight games the next season. While he returned to make 15 starts in 2023, he suffered a late-season ACL tear and never played for the Cardinals again. They released him the next offseason.

Humphries has seen minimal action since his knee injury. After going through a long recovery process, he signed with the Chiefs in November 2024 and went on to start in both regular-season appearances and play a pair of playoff games. Humphries caught on with the Rams last season, but he only made one start in eight games.

Now heading to Washington, the 32-year-old Humphries will give the team experienced depth as it awaits Tunsil’s potential return. The five-time Pro Bowler is expected to miss a significant chunk of time as he recovers from surgery. In the meantime, the Commanders are primed to start Brandon Coleman in Tunsil’s place.

The Commanders were not planning a veteran tackle addition in the immediate aftermath of Tunsil’s injury, but they have reversed course with the Humphries pickup. He will join Andrew Wylie to give the club a second battle-tested backup, but a starting opportunity could be in store if Coleman struggles.