While the New York Jets are in the middle of training camp, they could still consider adding a top veteran free agent by signing D.J. Humphries ahead of the regular season.
Joe Tansey with Bleacher Report laid out some bargain-bin free agents the Jets could pursue. Humphries topped the list as an established veteran offensive tackle. Tansey laid out a solid case for the Jets to pursue him.
“The Jets do not have an urgent need at offensive tackle,” Tansey wrote. “However, it is worth monitoring the free-agent market in case anything serious happens to the players on their roster…First-round pick Olu Fashanu can fill in a starting role if an injury happens, but bringing in a veteran like D.J. Humphries would help in that scenario.”
Other players mentioned as potential targets included quarterback Trevor Siemian and pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue.
D.J. Humphries’ Impressive Resumé
Expectations have always been high for Humphries. But he’s done nothing but live up to the hype throughout his football career.
Humphries was a 5-star recruit and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2012 class back in high school. He was named a Freshman All-American in his first season with the Florida Gators, but injuries had him on and off the field over the next two years.
That didn’t stop the Arizona Cardinals from taking Humphries in the first round of the 2015 draft. He played nine seasons with the franchise, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2021. The Cardinals even rewarded him with a three-year, $66 million contract extension back in 2022.
Unfortunately, Humphries didn’t make it to the end of that contract. The Cardinals released him this offseason as a cap-saving move, making Humphries a free agent for the first time in his career.
According to Pro Football Focus, Humphries has never allowed double-digit sacks in a single season. He’s likely past his prime at 30 years old, but could still be a viable veteran backup option for a team like the Jets.
Latest on Olu Fashanu
The Jets swung on a top offensive tackle in this year’s draft. However, it’s unclear when Olu Fashanu will see the field at the NFL level.
Fashanu was a consensus All-American in 2023 for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He was a borderline top-10 pick as well, going 11th overall to the Jets. However, despite the first-round billing, Fashanu is currently buried on the depth chart behind an established veteran in Tyron Smith at left tackle.
The Jets will likely slot Fashanu into the lineup if Smith goes down. But head coach Robert Saleh also mentioned that the long-term plan is for the first-round rookie to be able to serve as a backup at right tackle as well.
“That’s coming,” Saleh told reporters about Fashanu learning right tackle. “But right now, it’s just a matter of just getting him what we believe he is and making sure that he gets very comfortable with that first and once he gets to that level, we’ll start working him in areas where we can advance him.”
The Jets are staying patient with their first-round pick. That might be exactly what Fashanu needs to be a Pro Bowl-caliber player down the road.
