Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes Share Early Thoughts on Chiefs Debut for D.J. Humphries

With one Chiefs start in the books for D.J. Humphries, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes assessed his performance following Sunday's win over the Chargers.

Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during a time out during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs accomplished a good deal of what they set out to in Week 14, but some of their preexisting questions weren't quite answered against the Los Angeles Chargers. That's partially due to injuries, as left tackle D.J. Humphries and cornerback Joshua Williams both left the contest with in-game ailments.

Humphries, though, did log a significant sample of snaps (60) to serve as a barometer for his performance. How does Kansas City think he fared in his season debut? Following Sunday's AFC West-clinching victory, head coach Andy Reid admitted that the veteran tackle wasn't perfect but still did enough to help bring home the win.

“I think initially it was fast for him, then he settled down and I thought the second half he was playing well," Reid said. "Which I figured would happen. I mean, he hasn’t done anything with that kind of speed out there and then the physical part. These guys, they tried to drive you right back into the quarterback with their bull rushes and they are very good at it. So, he did a nice job.”

Advanced tracking data didn't love the job Humphries did in his first game since suffering a torn ACL in December of last year. According to Next Gen Stats, he surrendered eight pressures on 40 pass blocking snaps. That figure and pressure rate would be second among all Chiefs left tackles to play this year. Considering the matchup difficulty he faced in his reintroduction to the NFL, that isn't the end of the world. The first half saw him get beat on a pair of third downs and he did commit a false start penalty but as Reid mentioned, Humphries did seem to settle down in the second half. He had numerous pass protection reps where he held his own very well.

Despite the pressure numbers, quarterback Patrick Mahomes also gave Humphries a vote of confidence and is hopeful that he can bounce back quickly from his hamstring injury.

“I thought he did a good job," Mahomes said. "I mean, there are little things here and there. He’s still learning the playbook, so he knows how to pass protect, that’s the easy part – he knows how to run block. To pass off game to new guys to know where he can kind of cheat and kind of get subtle cues on my cadences and stuff like that, he truly is just out there playing football and just [having] one-on-one reps. He did a good job today. I mean, obviously, I’ll go back and look at the film and hopefully we can get him back out there soon but to battle [and] to play all those snaps right off of an ACL injury, I was proud of how he fought.”

Reid did tip his cap to Wanya Morris, who filled in for Humphries on the final offensive possession of the game. The team's short-term future, however, does appear to reside with the 30-year-old they signed just last month. Assuming Humphries is good to go for Week 15's Sunday bout with the Cleveland Browns – Reid may have additional injury context this week if necessary – he figures to get the nod once again. With some good and bad to build on, his initial performance wasn't too different from what Kansas City has gotten this year.

The difference is Humphries has a track record that leaves the door open for better days to be ahead.

Read More: Four Takeaways from the Kansas City Chiefs' 19-17 Win Over the Los Angeles Chargers