Kendall Langford could be a missing piece for the Dolphins

There was a time when Kendall Langford was the future for the Miami Dolphins defensive front. A third round pick with a lot of upside. That changed.

In 2008 the Miami Dolphins viewed Kendall Langford as part of the team’s solution to re-imagine the trenches on defense. Langford was solid but never became great in his four seasons with the Dolphins. When his rookie contract was up, then general manager Jeff Ireland opted to not bring him back.

He is back now.

Lanford is entering his 11 season in the NFL and through those 11 seasons he has seen five different cities. Three cities in 2017. A year that he personally describes as the worst in his entire life. Langford battled injury and personal heartache in 2017. A knee injury kept him off the field and he lost a newborn child to a rare disease.

"“Yes, I’m frustrated. (I had) everything life could possibly throw at me – injuries, I bounced (around to) a couple of teams, personal issues. It was … 2017 was by far the worst year of my life. I’m looking forward to getting my career back on track here in 2018 and continue to move forward.”  – Kendall Langford – via MiamiDolphins.com"

Now he is trying to get his career, which is entering the final twilight years, back on track. He can thank his close friend William Hayes. It was reported earlier in the week when Langford was signed to the roster taking the place of Gabe Wright, that Hayes went to head coach Adam Gase to lobby for him. His persistency worked and after a great conditioning workout, Langford rejoined the Dolphins.

So how does this help Miami? Well, Langford is pretty good against the run and the Dolphins defensive unit hasn’t really been that good in that area. In fact the Dolphins are needing someone from the defensive line to step up.

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Langford is competing for a roster spot and while the Dolphins are not great at defensive line depth there is no guarantee on Langford. That being said, he has looked good so far and the Dolphins are pleased.

The Dolphins defensive line as of now is Jordan Phillips, Davon Godchaux, Vincent Taylor, and Akeem Spence. There are some lesser names but are on the outside looking in. Langford is more likely on the inside wondering if he will be on the outside.

He will get a lot of looks in the last two weeks and while there is no guarantee he will make the roster, if what he is showing now, it should not be a question. When Langford is on his game, he is a solid defensive lineman who can rotate within the group. That is where Miami will benefit the most, the added depth with a long time veteran.

Missing piece? Might be a strong term because the Dolphins defensive line must play better and Langford needs to prove he can play consistently but Langford should help the younger guys improve if not through experience then competition.