The Kansas City Chiefs is no longer an explosive offense capable of winning high-ranked deals. Instead, Kansas City has relied on ball control, discipline and defense to win games.

Throughout the year, the team’s offensive ailments have been exacerbated by poor performances from the offensive tackle positions. With an inability to protect in the passing game and frequent drive-killing penalties, the Chiefs have been forced to simplify their creative and dangerous passing scheme, and Patrick Mahomes has been stuck in neutral as a result.

Chiefs starting left tackle Wanya Morris is currently ranked below average in nearly every offensive category by Pro Football Focus. There were also high hopes for BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia, whom the Chiefs selected with the No. 63 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he has dealt with typical rookie struggles. As the calendar turns to December and the playoffs approach, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is clearly looking to shore up the position, but this may not be a problem he can solve in free agency — as the team’s latest signing proves.

Kansas City signed veteran offensive tackle DJ Humphries on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Humphries, who spent the past nine seasons playing for the Arizona Cardinals, will receive $2 million with a cap hit of $4.5 million. The 30-year-old earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021, but his career was derailed by a torn ACL last season. Humphries was medically cleared to return to the league on Friday, per NFL insider Jordan Schulz.

Suamataia’s struggles prompted the Chiefs to leave him off the active roster against the Bills, so Humphries should give them some valuable depth in case of injury. Still, he does little to fix the team’s struggles at the blindside position.

Humphries was once a reliable and versatile offensive tackle, but he brings with him a lot of unknowns. His health remains unclear, and the former first-round pick has struggled with penalties in the past. Humphries has 54 career penaltiesbut he was flagged over 11 times in both the 2019 and 2021 seasons. That sounds a lot like what the Chiefs currently have at the position, and it remains to be seen what, if anything, Humphries has left in the tank at this point in his career.

It’s hard to believe he’ll be able to move the needle, but he’s certainly worth a shot — especially as the Chiefs try to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes for another potential Super Bowl run.