Tag: D.J. Humphries

Arizona Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries has developed into one of the better left tackles in the NFL. He arguably should have been a Pro Bowler last season. He has been included in one list of the top tackles in the league and left off another.

He has come a long way since being a healthy scratch every game of his rookie season.

He feels his greatest gains over the years have been in one particular area — consistency.

“A lot when I was a younger guy, I would lock a guy up.,” he said on Siriusm XM NFL Radio recently.  “I would go out and go against a guy, shut him down and the next week think I’m hot stuff, and I go out there and get two out of frame in the first half.”

He has learned in his career that “complacency kills.”

His focus is better now because he knows he can’t let up just because of past performances.

“I can’t take a week off just because I’m playing someone that’s not supposedly that guy, because he can become that guy off of you.”

He believes that the key to succeeding in the NFC West in particular for a tackle is pass blocking.

“I think, in the NFC West, you better learn how to pass protect really quickly,” he said. “If it’s not a strong suit of yours, you better figure it out or you’re going to find yourself out of a job. because it will get really ugly, really quick.

“It was something I had to learn because I came into the league a smaller guy. Run blocking was easier for me because we were going against pass rushers. I thought I was going to be a pass-blocking guru because I was so athletic, but this is a different ballgame. I genuinely had to learn how to pass protect in the NFL.

“When your’e in the NFL and you’ve got to block three moves in seven seconds, that’s a different ballgame for you every snap.”

Humphries is the second of his new three-year contract. If he keeps up his play, he should be in play for another big payday to lock him up even longer than through 2022.

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This offseason was different for Arizona Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries because cornerback Patrick Peterson is no longer on the team, having signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings, and Larry Fitzgerald has not yet decided whether he will play in 2021.

It was almost eye-opening for Humphries, now in his seventh season with the team.

“I’ve gotten old really fast,” he said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio recently with hosts Bruce Murray and Kirk Morrison. “I always felt like I was practicing to prove something to those guys and make those guys proud of me.”

He had to change his approach in offseason work.

“It was definitely a different feeling for me being out there,” he explained. “It was moreso I had to shift my mindset to set an example instead of trying to impress my OGs (Fitzgerald and Peterson), I had to set an example now for the younger cats that are coming up and watching me, because when that happened, I didn’t realize how many people were watching me.

“Now that they are gone, it ‘s even more magnified. I have to step into a certain light where I can’t have any downs or slips. I have to do everything right every day.”

However, their departure hasn’t changed Humphries’ leadership style. The addition of players like defensive end J.J. Watt and center Rodney Hudson has allowed him to be who he is.

“The veterans that we have on our team, they’re not veterans that are coming in trying not to step on toes, being timid and trying to find their place in the room,” he said. “We got guys. We brought in veterans that are proven in this league. They know that and move that way.

“J.J. Watt is not looking for acceptance from anyone. He knows who he is. He knows what he can bring to the table and he’s bringing it to the table. Rodney isn’t looking for acceptance in our room. He knows who he is and he knows what he brings to the table and he’s bringing it.”

Humphries was prepared to overcompensate by being more vocal. Having Watt and Hudson on the team “was awesome for me,” he said.

“I don’t want to be the guy that just is yelling because someone needs to yell right now. That’s not me at all. I’ve never been that guy. I’d never want to be that guy,” he said. “But being around those older guys that we brought in, they know how to lead and that’s awesome for me to see.”

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Left tackle D.J. Humphries has been with the Arizona Cardinals since 2015 and technically was part of the team when they last made the playoffs. However, he did not dress for any game that season, so he hasn’t actually been in the playoffs.

The Cardinals were tracking for a postseason berth last season. They were 6-3 and were even in first place in the NFC West briefly. However, they finished 2-5 down the stretch and missed the playoffs by a game.

That was disappointing. Humphries learned a valuable lesson from last season, suggesting that the team as a whole did not maintain the same intensity or focus to finish the year.

“I think I learned that everything matters,” he said recently on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing it for eight weeks a certain way, you need to continue to do that way for another eight weeks.”

He spoke of complacency and it sounds like the Cardinals got complacent after their 6-3 start, almost as if the “Hail Murray” play and beating the Buffalo Bills changed how they prepared.

They believed in themselves a little too much.

“Complacency is a real thing and it kills,” Humphries said. “When you feel like your (expletive) doesn’t stink, it’s eventually going to start stinking and it’s going to show. And that is something I learned quickly.

“Every week, it has to be the same preparation. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing Monday night football this week or Thursday night football. It doesn’t matter, Every week has to be the same preparation.”

They faced backup quarterbacks in their final two games of the year and didn’t beat them. They should have made it to the playoffs.

Now, they did deal with an injury to Kyler Murray and the offense struggled more after he was running less.

However, it was clear they approached things differently after the Buffalo game.

“When you get unto the mind frame of. ‘We’re good, so we beat this team,’ it’s going to get you every time.

“Every week has got to be the Super Bowl.”

Humphries noted the focus the entire team had in offseason workouts. Quarterback Kyler Murray is tired of not making the playoffs.

They added veteran leaders to the roster.

With the failures of last year and the additions of the offseason, they could be in position to do something special.

But, like Humphries said, every week has to matter.

If they approach the year like that and can stay healthy, this could be a fun season for fans to see.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Arizona Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries has developed into one of the best tackles in the league, although he hasn’t gotten any recognition for it. He was fantastic in 2020 after getting a big contract extension.

The former first-round pick is a leader and he is funny, but there are a few things you probably don’t know about him.

He appeared on the Free Breakfast podcast and covered a whole bunch of topics, from his high schools days to what he has learned from Larry Fitzgerald.