D.J. Humphries was great at left tackle in 2016

The 2016 NFL season did not go as the Arizona Cardinals planned it. There 7-8-1 record, their missing the playoffs and the litany of injuries were just the beginning of the issues.

However, there were a couple of very bright spots, one of those was running back David Johnson, another was the emergence of D.J. Swearinger, yet neither of those D.J.’s offer the upside of the one who never got to finish what he started in 2016.

D.J. Humphries, the 2015 first round pick did not start in year one and waited his turn to become the left tackle, but heading into 2017, he is on his way to the left side and there is a reason to be excited.

In only his three starts at left tackle, he was very good and those three games were against good teams with nice pass rushers: Atlanta Falcons and Dwight Freeney, Washington Redskins and Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith and the Miami Dolphins and Cameron Wake.

His ability to reduce the number of hurries and go zero in sacks was important, but also gives the Arizona Cardinals something to be excited about.