The Kansas City Chiefs threw a lot at the wall to see what stuck when it came to their left tackle situation a season ago. One of the solutions they tried was bringing in D.J. Humphries and hoping he could be the answer despite recently recovering from an injury.
As we know, Humphries wasn't the answer and the Chiefs were left scrambling for another solution this offseason. They ended up signing 49ers tackle Jaylon Moore to a two-year deal and also spending a first-round draft pick on Josh Simmons.
Meanwhile, Humphries had been left unsigned but has finally found a landing spot, inking a deal with the 49ers. This means that the Chiefs and 49ers have swapped tackles in the offseason with Moore coming to Kansas City and Humphries heading west to San Francisco. Moore was a big piece for the Niners whenever Trent Williams missed time so they're hoping that Humphries can be a similar secret weapon for them.
D.J. Humphries leaves for 49ers following failed Chiefs stint
The 49ers were in a desperate situation after losing Moore, their swing tackle, to the Chiefs in free agency and didn't end up finding a replacement swing tackle in the draft. That led to them bringing in Humphries, who 49ers fans are familiar with considering he's spent a good chunk of his career in the NFC West.
Humphries was a first-round pick by Arizona in 2015 and spent eight seasons with the Cardinals. His biggest issue was staying healthy, as he only appeared in every regular season game three times in eight years while in the desert. The Chiefs took a flier on him last year and he started just two games.
When Brett Veach knew he wasn't going to be the long-term answer, he set out finding a better solution to the left tackle problem and that involved signing Moore from San Francisco. Adding Simmons gives the Chiefs even more insurance on the left side of the line.
It's a bummer that Humphries didn't work out for the Chiefs but moving on from him wasn't a surprise given what Veach did instead. Signing Moore away from San Francisco gives the Chiefs a left tackle that can start and take pressure off Simmons to rush back before he's ready.
Simply put, the Chiefs gambled on Humphries last season and it went poorly so they made the right call in moving on. If the 49ers think Humphries can be a solid swing tackle for them, more power to them. We'll see how that pans out for them.