D.J. Humphries' rookie year was a washout. He knew that, even if it made sense he needed to mature both physically and mentally when it came to playing in the NFL. His second year, he was a starter all season (until he suffered a concussion late in the season) and definitely had improvement, to the point where Humphries is the early choice to play left tackle this season. He's anxious to build on that in 2017, which was underscored by his tweet today:

The work needed, and Humphries' step forward in his second year, made me think of Robert Nkemdiche.

Like Humphries, Nkemdiche's rookie season was a washout. Nkemdiche was actually active for a handful of games (unlike Humphries) but he didn't make an impact. He knew, as did his coaches, that he hadn't been ready for the NFL. That, according to both Nkemdiche and his coaches, improved near the end of the season. Recently, when talking about his breakout choices for 2017, General Manager Steve Keim brought up Nkemdiche.

Make no mistake -- the Cardinals will need Nkemdiche to take at the very least a Humphries-like step forward in his second year. Calais Campbell very well could leave as a free agent, and besides, Nkemdiche was a first-round pick -- you have to have your first-round picks have significant development year to year.

It's an important offseason not only for the Cardinals (who could have some significant defensive changes) but for Nkemdiche.