Top 5 Colts Positional Battles to Watch: Post-Draft

Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports; Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

3. How does it “End”?

Incumbent: *Kendall Langford

Challenger: Henry Anderson

The Colts will have Arthur Jones anchoring one of the sides of their defensive line, yet the bigger question right now is who will be starting on the other side of the team’s defensive line.

After signing a 4-year, $17.2 million contract with the Colts this offseason, Kendall Langford figures to be the heavy favorite to start at defensive end. However, with only $2.5 million of that guaranteed, it may not necessarily be the sure thing that it appears to be at first glance. The 8-year veteran will get the first crack at it and shouldn’t be expected to lose the job, if all goes according to plan.

However, the Colts did select Stanford’s Henry Anderson in the 3rd round of this year’s draft, which according to the majority of draft experts was a major steal for the team. The 6’6″, 294 pounder has drawn rave reviews from advanced grading and metrics gurus like ProFootballFocus and could be a force in the pass rushing department. He’s coming off an impressive 8.5 sack season for the Cardinal.

While I fully expect Langford to be the opening game starter, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Anderson is eating into his reps by midseason, especially on passing downs. Langford has been a bit of an enigma in his career after a promising start with the Miami Dolphins that was later met with so-so results at his next stop in St. Louis. At the very least, Anderson should push him for reps, both early and often in what should be a fun competition to watch.