7 Arizona Cardinals that must bounce-back in 2019

D.J. Humphries – OT

This is about as obvious as possible. Since being drafted in the first-round in 2015, D.J. Humphries has backed decent play with an inability to stay on the field. So far, the Cardinals haven’t rewarded his lack of health as they accepted his fifth-year option but didn’t give him an extension.

That’s the correct move. It would be one thing if Humphries was Dan Dierdorf when he was healthy, but he isn’t. He’s a solid, but not great left tackle that can’t stay on the field. Out of 64 possible regular season games, the left tackle has played in just 27.

Consistency is key for an offensive line. That becomes especially true when you factor in that the offensive line is protecting two coveted rookie quarterbacks two years in a row. That’s exactly what he doesn’t bring. For example, in 2017, Pro Football Focus graded him at a high 81.7, but he played in just five games.

Of course, there is hope for Humphries. He’s a mammoth of a tackle standing at 6-foot-5 and 307-pounds and is truly nasty in the run game. And at just 25 years old, there is a lot of room to grow. But, I can’t stress this enough: he has to stay healthy.

It’s not just the Cardinals that are depending on the left tackles health, Humphries himself is too. He’s in a contract year, and consistent, solid left tackles are paid a premium price in free agency. With the rate in which he’s going, he’s not going to get that massive offer so many players covet.