Cardinals’ D.J. Humphries Ejected After Hitting Ref During Heated Exchange With Seahawks LB

The veteran left tackle’s day ended abruptly following an awkward sequence in the second quarter.

A heated exchange during Sunday’s Cardinals-Seahawks game unexpectedly cost Arizona its starting left tackle after D.J. Humphries unintentionally made contact with an official. 

Humphries was ejected from the contest early in the second quarter following an altercation with Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks after a play. As the players exchanged words, Brooks took a swipe at Humphries’s helmet with down judge Brian Sakowski attempting to break up the scrum.

The veteran offensive lineman’s push inadvertently sent Brooks’s arm into Sakowski’s head, resulting in an unnecessary roughness penalty and the subsequent ejection.

This is what DJ Humphries got ejected for.

Getting pushed in the head and missing his return slap pic.twitter.com/seUMPrei51

— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) October 22, 2023

With Humphries headed to the locker room, the Cardinals turned to LT Kelvin Beachum to fill the void.

Considering the penalty, it’s likely Humphries will face the possibility of a fine from the NFL next week, despite the awkward smack appeared to be an accident.

The Cardinals currently trail the Seahawks, 17–10, in the third quarter.