If the Jets want to draft a tackle in the first round of the NFL draft, an obstacle was just removed from their path there.
D.J. Humphries signed a three-year, $45 million extension with the Arizona Cardinals on Monday. The new contract will pay Humphries $30 million over the first two years and $29 million guaranteed. It comes in the aftermath of the first 16-game season of his career.
The move to extend the 26-year-old tackle out of the University of Florida not only telegraphs Arizona’s draft plans, but it also helps out tackle-needy teams like the Jets that need the first 10 picks of April’s draft to bounce in their favor.
Alabama’s Jedrick Wills Jr., Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas and Louisville’s Mekhi Becton are the four best offensive tackles in the draft, but there will be other interested teams before the Jets pick at No. 11. The Giants, Chargers, Panthers, Jaguars and Browns could all be in the market for the position. However, a run on quarterbacks and Humphries’ extension could pay dividends for New York, who has to rely on a little bit of luck for an offensive lineman to fall into their laps at 11.
Humphries was set to become an unrestricted free agent in March. While the Cardinals have re-upped their starting left tackle, who helped Arizona’s running game finish with a franchise-record 5.0 yards per carry last season, they still have multiple offensive lineman hitting the free agent market.
Veteran offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert is set to hit free agency, while Justin Murray, who ended the season as the starter, is a former undrafted free agent who has bounced around the league. With that, ESPN’s Mel Kiper still has Arizona taking Wirfs in his latest mock draft, citing Wirfs’ history on the right side and Gilbert’s impending free agency.
Still, it’s unknown whether Gilbert is also part of Arizona’ retention plan. According to Spotrac.com, Arizona had roughly $51.5 million in salary cap space, which was the 15th most across the league, prior to the Humphries’ extension.
With Humphries extended for the next three seasons, it could take Arizona out of the tackle market in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Players like Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, Alabama wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III and Auburn defensive lineman Derrick Brown all make sense for the Cardinals, who pick eighth overall.
While Arizona spent three of its draft picks in 2019 on receivers Hakeem Butler, Andy Isabella and KeSean Johnson, they are still seemingly in the market for a top-tier wideout. Larry Fitzgerald is signed back for his 17th season, while Christian Kirk has emerged as a legitimate No. 2. Still, there can never be enough wideouts in Kliff Kingsbury’s wide open attack, especially when developing a young quarterback.
This past season Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year, so the franchise seems bent on providing him with the best protection possible, something the Jets hope on supplementing Sam Darnold with this offseason.
The market for offensive tackles is expected to be competitive, with the Jets being one of several teams to throw their hats in the ring. Of course, Humphries helps set the market for similar offensive tackles, but it also takes one off the board as well. When the draft rolls around, there are no certainties that the Jets will still be in the market for a tackle; anything between now and the draft is in the cards for Gang Green.
For now, the Humphries extension and a potential run on quarterbacks projects well for Gang Green’s hopes of getting one of the draft’s top-four tackles.