Though he’s not taken a snap for the Kansas City Chiefs, he met the local media for the first time Wednesday and made quite the impression. He won’t play Friday against the Las Vegas Raiders, but whenever that moment arrives, he’ll be ready.
DJ Humphries arrived in Kansas City on Monday, took his physical, officially signed his contract on Tuesday, and met his teammates and coaches. He’s the answer for Fans at left tackle, but his debut will come on Friday when the Chiefs host the Las Vegas Raiders.
More likely, he could be next weekend when the Los Angeles Chargers arrive for a Sunday Night showdown that could clinch the AFC West for the Chiefs. Still, Humphries, who addressed the media on Wednesday, appeared to be a kid in the candy store who won a lifetime supply of chocolates.
“I’m in Kansas City. I’m pretty ecstatic. It doesn’t get much better than this,” he said.
Clearly, he’s happy to be in Kansas City. Yet, he had to wait until his surgically repaired ACL was ready for the NFL’s punishment. Still, some had questioned whether he’d be able to come back, and as his 31st birthday approached in December, he wondered when he’d get another chance in the NFL.
When he was medically cleared to play again last week, the Chiefs swiftly offered him a contract that, with incentives, could pay him up to $4.5 million. It’s a premium price, but the Chiefs are playing an injured left tackle, Wanya Morris (Bone Bruise), and their second-round pick, Kingsley Suamataia, has struggled at the NFL level.
Still, when he injured his knee and worked out a release from the Cardinals, his future was questioned by most people except his son. On Wednesday, he told the media that when he told his eight-year-old son he was about to be released, he immediately said that was a good thing so he could go play with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Now he has that chance to play a Super Bowl winner and play with his old teammates from Arizona, DeAndre Hopkins and Hollywood Brown, who should rejoin the Chiefs in December.
Humphries mentioned Hopkins reached out to him about coming to Kansas City, but he didn’t need any arm twisting; he knew this was where he wanted to be.
