Colts Kendall Langford Out 3-4 Weeks With Knee Injury

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kendall Langford will miss 3-4 weeks, as he recovers from a knee injury suffered last week during training camp practice.

It’s worth noting that the 30 year old veteran defensive lineman has never missed a regular season game, so the team is hopeful to keep that streak intact, as Langford should hopefully be back by the opener and theoretically only miss preseason games during his recovery.

"Dec 20, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kendall Langford (90) reacts after a sack against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports“He didn’t make the trip,” said Chuck Pagano on Langford Tuesday. “He had an episode last week during practice with his knee. He got an MRI on it, and he’s got a chondral defect in there, so we sent him down to (Doctor James) Andrews. He had a scope, and he’s going to be 3-4 weeks.““So he got a scope yesterday, he’ll be back here Thursday and 3-4 weeks on him.”"

Despite the injury, Pagano remained confident that Langford would be back by the team’s regular season opener given the recovery timetable and the veteran’s well-documented durability:

"“You know 3-4 weeks so knowing Kendall, I mean he’s an iron man. I think he’s got the most consecutive games right now today among all active defensive lineman in the league, so I’m counting on it.”"

It’s a big loss for the Colts starting defensive line even for preseason games. Last season, Langford was consistently the team’s best defensive lineman over the course of the entire year, making 38 tackles and tying for the team-high with 7 sacks in all 16 starts.

Not to mention, the Colts will already be without veteran defensive end Art Jones, who’s suspended the first 4 games of this year’s regular season because of PED’s, as well as Henry Anderson, who is a strong candidate to begin the regular season on PUP and miss the first 6 games, as he rehabilitates from a season-ending torn ACL suffered last season

In their absence, look for holdovers Zach Kerr and T.Y. McGill to assume larger roles, who have already flashed potential in their young careers as rotational defensive lineman. Additionally, promising rookie 4th round pick Hassan Ridgeway could emerge as a solid starting caliber defensive end with his size and pass rushing ability.

For the Colts, it’s “next man up” once again, but it’s a bit surprising it’s already happening this early considering the team has yet to even play a preseason game.