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Report: The 49ers Sign Left Tackle D.J. Humphries

This is quite interesting.
Grant Cohn|
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle D.J. Humphries (70) against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle D.J. Humphries (70) against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

This is quite interesting.

The 49ers just signed veteran offensive lineman D.J. Humphries according to reports. Humphries is a starting left tackle. He was a first-round pick in 2016, he has appeared in 100 career games and started all 100. And he's only 31.

Granted, Humphries missed all but two games last season as he recovered from a torn ACL. But he seems to be healthy now. And if he's healthy, he immediately becomes the third-best offensive lineman on the team behind future Hall of Famer Trent Williams and second-year right guard Dominick Puni.

So it's unclear what the 49ers signed Humphries to do. They need a swing tackle to replace Jaylon Moore who signed with the Chiefs this offseason, but swing tackles are backups and Humphries never has been a backup in his career. Why would he sign to be a backup when he's still a solid starter?

Why would Humphries backup right tackle Colton McKivitz when Humphries is a better player than him? Humphries was a Pro Bowler in 2021. McKivitz never has been and never will be a Pro Bowler. He's a below-average starter.

Maybe the 49ers signed Humphries to fill their vacancy at left guard. But Humphries never has played guard in the NFL.

Maybe the 49ers signed Humphries because they know they need a starting-caliber left tackle when Trent Williams misses games. Maybe they're worried that he'll retire if he injures his ankle one more time -- he has suffered ankle injuries four seasons in a row. The most recent one cost him the final seven games of last season.

Keep in mind, strong safety Malik Mustapha tore his ACL in January and the 49ers didn't tell anyone until a few days ago. They're not always the most transparent and forthright team. If something were going on with Williams, we would be the last to know.

Stay tuned. We'll learn more when the terms of Humphries' contract are released.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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