Arizona Cardinals no longer have a reliable left tackle for Kyler Murray

Among the many needs the Arizona Cardinals have during the 2022 offseason, a replacement for D.J. Humphries at left tackle should be something to consider.

As former NFL head coach John Fox once said, “it’s all a problem.” That quote seems to currently fit the Arizona Cardinals perfectly.

On top of their wild-card game embarrassment on Monday, where they had fewer yards than the Pittsburgh Steelers did in their 42-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cardinals have a new problem emerging from Kyler Murray‘s blindside. D.J. Humphries, who has been Arizona’s starting left tackle since 2016, is breaking down.

These last two weeks have been indicative of that, as the Cardinals let Seattle gain five sacks in what should have been a throttling of the Seahawks. Then on Monday night, Los Angeles Rams pass rusher Von Miller was made to look like he was back in 2015 mode as Humphries made a terrible mistake early in the game.

Anyone who has ever played offensive line has known that one of the rules you don’t break during pass protection is never to go out and attack a rusher. Yet, on a play late in the first quarter, Humphries did just that, and he didn’t recover.

D.J. Humphries is no longer the Arizona Cardinals franchise left tackle

Humphries is no longer someone Arizona can depend on over on the left side of their offensive line. But it’s not just because of that one play from Monday, but it also has to do with how close he was to being declared a bust before the 2019 season, as he struggled to stay healthy and on the field. Since then, Humphries has now played 99 percent of snaps or more in the last three seasons.

The offensive line quality has been an issue for the Cardinals since 2020. In that year, the interior offensive line was the problem. Now that problem has radiated out to the edges of the offensive line and every single tackle this year struggled.

Arizona can’t just let a geriatric version of Miller beat them, especially with how hyped-up the crowd gets when Miller actually manages to do something.

But, of course, there are always two sides to the story and the fact is that Murray may not be helping either. The Cardinals quarterback held the ball way too long against Seattle and he didn’t use his legs to help his blockers, who were engaged in a block for three seconds or more.

This whole team needs a reboot.