Ossenfort: Cardinals ‘would have zero hesitation’ bringing D.J. Humphries back

TEMPE — Among the tough decisions Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort has made in his Arizona tenure, releasing offensive lineman D.J. Humphries likely is right up there near the top.

Regardless of the short time they spent together, Ossenfort didn’t make the decision lightly.

“It was brutal,” Ossenfort said Wednesday of releasing the longest-tenured Cardinal and captain. “We got to spend a year with D.J. and we’re both better for it. Our team is better for it. Just really unfortunate with the timing of the injury. Obviously, for us as a football team and for D.J. on a personal level. The salary cap and the way things are set up and the way contracts work, it put us in a very tough situation.

“I can’t say enough about how I feel about D.J. as a football player and even moreso as a person. Just being around him and his energy and the leadership he brought to this team, we’re certainly going to miss him. I just hope nothing but the best for him and his recovery and rehab.”

With the tough decision to move on from Humphries come cap savings just shy of $16 million that could go a long way in continuing to build the roster in the next phase of Arizona’s reset.

And just because Humphries isn’t currently on the roster as he works to bounce back from a torn ACL suffered late in the season last year doesn’t mean the door is completely shut on the four-time captain making a return to the desert.

“Who knows what’s going to happen down the line. I would have zero hesitation to bring D.J. back,” Ossenfort said. “Just unfortunately, the worst part about this league is injuries and it just struck a guy who’s meant a lot to this organization and to this team. It just hit him at the wrong time.”

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