It's not even minicamp, and Rams have already addressed glaring roster hole

Didn't DJ Humphries sign with the San Francisco 49ers in April?

It was clear that the San Francisco 49ers were trying to juggle a lot of roster moves simultaneously, and the granddaddy of them all was the extension for quarterback Brock Purdy. At the same time, the 49ers front office was preparing for an announcement from LT Trent Williams that he had decided to retire. That announcement never came.

In the meantime, the 49ers brass and OT D.J. Humphries had hammered out a deal that satisfied both parties. But in the midst of the contract negotiations with Purdy, the Humphries signing never came to pass.

Was Humphries the next starting left tackle for the 49ers, and the news that Williams was returning derailed his addition to the team? Or did the 49ers need to vacate the unsigned contract because the funds used to entice Humphries to the 49ers roster was spent on the quarterback? In either case, the 49ers settled for a vary suspect veteran OT Andre Dillard, and Humphries remained a free agent.

Why sign veteran OT DJ Humphries now?

The Rams have emerged from OTAs and are enroute to mini-camp slated for Maui, Hawaii. While the team has any number of spots that could have been addressed with additional reinforcements, it is worth noting that the Rams have now signed two respectable, if not serviceable, veteran offensive tackles to the team over the span of two weeks time.

The Rams may have been delighted to retain Alaric Jackson at left tackle, but the team knows full well how badly this offensive line struggled when either starting offensive tackle was out. If the Rams had found their primary backup right tackle in veteran David Quessenberry, the team still had to face the reality that the primary backup at left tackle was Warren McClendon Jr.

Now, that has all changed, instantly.

What does this do to the Rams offensive line depth chart? So glad that you asked:

• LT - Alaric Jackson, DJ Humphries, AJ Arcuri
• LG - Steve Avila, Justin Dedich, Wyatt Bowles
• C - Coleman Shelton, Beaux LImmer, Dylan McMahon, Willie Lampkin
• RG - Kevin Dotson, KT Leveston, Ben Dooley
• RT - Rob Havenstein, David Quessenberry, Warren McClendon Jr., Trey Wedig

The Rams starting five are solid, but even more impressive are the team's projected backups. At every offensive line position, the Rams appear to boast a player who has solid experience at starting at that position. Of course, players who are not projected as primary backups and are not rookies suddenly find themselves perched on a roster bubble.

DJ Humphries has been a long-term starter for the Arizona Cardinals, who was forced to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs after suffering an ACL injury with the Cardinals near the end of the 2023 NFL season. He signed as a late-season reinforcement with the Chiefs in 2024. Humphries was originally drafted by the Cardinals in Round 1 of the 2015 NFL Draft, and was their starting left tackle through 2023.

Now, he is a backup left tackle for the Los Angeles Rams. If you needed proof that the Rams are serious about protecting QB Matthew Stafford, you just got it.

Quite frankly, he is good. He is so good that I'm not ruling out stiff competition for the starting role at left tackle.

As always, thanks for reading.

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