Less than two weeks after signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, veteran offensive tackle D.J. Humphries is set to make his first start with the team. Per Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest and Sports Radio 810 WHB, Humphries will be Kansas City’s starting left tackle in Week 15 when the Chiefs face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.
Humphries, 30, signed with the Chiefs on November 25. Week 14 will be Humphries’ first chance to suit up for a game since suffering a torn ACL in Week 17 of the 2023 season.
Earlier in the week, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid said Humphries, if he was physically ready to play, would get a crack at the starting job.
“No, I — listen, I don’t think that’s probably fair to D.J. right now just [with] him coming off this offseason,” Reid said during his December 2 press conference about Humphries potentially being the starting LT in Week 14. “I think we just play it by ear, Sam (McDowell), as we go. If he feels okay, then we give him an opportunity. If it’s not where it needs to be then you don’t. We’ll see how it goes.”
Patrick Mahomes Eager to See D.J. Humphries Suit Up for Chiefs
Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes heaped praise on Humphries when asked about him this week and is eager to see the veteran suit up on game day.
“You see how talented he (D.J. Humphries) is. The physical gifts are there,” Mahomes said during his December 4 media availability. “It’s been cool to watch him interact with the other guys, too. You can tell he’s smart. He’s willing to teach guys which is big in that room. We have a lot of young guys there and so I’ve been very impressed. I’m excited for him to get more and more work with more and more practice and hopefully be ready to go as soon as possible.”
Matt Nagy Praises Humphries For His ‘Infectious’ Personality
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was also asked about Humphries during Week 15 preparation and had nothing but good things to say about the eight-year veteran.
“As far as the person –– like I said a few weeks ago, [I] love the person. I love his (D.J. Humphries) energy,” Nagy said during his December 5 press conference. “It’s a contagious, infectious personality that he has, with a lot of confidence but he also has to learn the lingo and how we do things and he’s been able to do that the last couple weeks.
“He’s been doing a really good job in practice of being able to show us with the opportunities he’s getting, and I think that’s half [of] the battle. It’s just the experience and the confidence and now, if he gets that opportunity and that’s the way we go, we’ll see on gameday if that’s the case.”
The Chiefs’ Week 14 game against the division-rival Chargers will take place on Sunday, December 8 at 7:20 p.m. Central Time and will be available to watch on NBC and Peacock.
A win for the Chiefs on Sunday will clinch the team’s ninth-straight AFC West title.
