Arizona Cardinals: 3 players to watch against Lions

By Scott Allen | Sep 8, 2017

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 23: Offensive tackle D.J. Humphries #74 and outside linebacker Markus Golden #44 of the Arizona Cardinals walk off the field following the NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 23, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals and Seahawks tied 6-6. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 06: David Johnson #31 of the Arizona Cardinals celebrates after a touchdown with D.J. Humphries #74 during their NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on October 6, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

D.J. Humphries

The entire offensive line will be under the microscope this season, especially early on. However no one player will have more extra eyes on him than starting left tackle Humphries,

Humphries replaces Jared Veldheer at left tackle and Veldheer moves over to right tackle, once occupied by Humphries. It’s a move the Cardinals and their fans hope pays off as they try to improve on their performance last season.

The Cardinals allowed 40 sacks of quarterback Carson Palmer in 2016. That was after 25 in 2015. Let’s also not remember that Palmer was hit a lot more times after getting rid of the ball, so 40 sacks doesn’t tell the whole story.

Left tackle is a more natural position for Humphries. The move hopefully reduces the number of hits on Palmer and gives him more time to get rid of the ball. We’ll see how he handles the Lions pass rush this Sunday.

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