How Larry Fitzgerald & Patrick peterson Bore a leader in Cardinals’ D.J. Humphries
When Cardinals’ tackle D.J. Humpries arrived at practice this offseason and something was different. Not different in a good way either. There was a big hole in Arizona and it wasn’t another canyon.
Two of Arizona’s most loyal servants; Patrick Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald were gone, perhaps never to return. Peterson signed with the Minnesota Vikings during free agency, while Larry Fitz weighs up whether he wants to put his body through another year of pro football.
Something, or someone had to fill the void, so Humphries put his 6’5”, 307lb frame to use.
“I haven’t been to a practice in my NFL career before minicamp where I didn’t see Patrick or Larry,” Humphries said in a recent interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“So that was something for me that kind of took me back a little bit when I went out there, because I’m used to those guys. I always felt like I was practicing to prove something to those guys and make those guys proud of me because those are my OGs, those are guys that have been here since I’ve been here.”
In his seventh season, Humphries knew he needed to give more of himself to push the Cardinals further.
“I had to shift my mindset to be an example instead of trying to impress my OGs in the way that I move and the way that I practice, how I handle myself. It was more so I had to set an example now for the younger cats that’s coming up and watching me. Because when that happened, I didn’t realize how many people were watching me leading up to that, before those guys left. And now that they’re gone, it’s even more magnified.
“So it’s like I have to step into a certain light where I can’t have any downs or slips, I’ve got to do everything right every day, every second. Everything has to be done [right] — every rep’s gotta be game reps because guys are watching and I know that.”
The additions of experienced Pro-Bowlers J.J. Watt and Malcolm Butler will help steady the defense, while the offense can caught on Humphries to help Kyler Murray and company flourish in the desert.