The NFL is a business, first and foremost. Which is why tough decisions are always made behind the scenes. Just take for example the move the Arizona Cardinals just made, as the NFC West division franchise released former Pro Bowl offensive tackle DJ Humphries.

Humphries suffered a brutal lower-body injury near the end of the 2023 NFL regular season during a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Not expected to be healthy enough to play in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL campaign and carrying a big $22 million cap hit for that year, the Cardinals have decided to cut him, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Cardinals released veteran offensive tackle D.J. Humphries, who tore his ACL vs. the Eagles on New Year’s Eve and was not expected to be ready for the start of the 2024 season.

Cardinals announce release of DJ Humphries

In a statement, the Cardinals made the announcement of their split with Humphries:

“The Arizona Cardinals Football Club today announced that the team has released offensive lineman D.J. Humphries,”

The Cardinals save over $9 million with the release of Humphries but also incur a $13.8 million dead cap in 2024. Arizona can also designate Humphries as a post-June 1 release and get dead caps of $6.9 million in 2024 and 2025 while saving $15.9 million.

Either way, it's the end of the road for Humphries with the Cardinals, the only team he has played for so far in his NFL career.

The 30-year-old Humphries, who is a product of the Florida Gators football program, entered the league in 2015 when the Cardinals selected him in the first round (24th overall pick in the class). He played 98 games for the Cardinals, all starts. He got a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 when he played in 15 games and 1,082 snaps.

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With Humphries no longer with the team, Arizona can be expected to fill the void he left with Kelvin Beachum, though, there is an option for the Cardinals to shore up the position with one of their picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. The Cardinals currently have a total of 11 picks for the draft, including the No. 4 overall selection.

The Cardinals can also look for someone with experience via the free agency.

Update:

Arizona  immediately followed up the move on Humphries by agreeing to a deal with Jonah Williams, who last played for the Cincinnati Bengals.