INDIANAPOLIS -- A defensive overhaul was one of the main focuses of the Colts during the offseason.
The unit could end up with six or seven new starters this season. But there are two holdovers on the defensive line who need to be significant factors after injuries affected their 2016 seasons: Kendall Langford and Henry Anderson.
They are expected to join Johnathan Hankins in the starting lineup this season on the line in coach Chuck Pagano's 3-4 defensive system. Langford and Anderson were components on a defensive line that played a role in the Colts finishing 25th in rushing yards allowed (120.4 yards per game) last season.
Langford, who didn't miss a game because of injury in the first eight NFL seasons -- playing 135 in a row -- was out for the final nine games of last season because of a knee injury that initially occurred during training camp. He was limited in offseason workouts, but he said back in the spring that he would be ready.
"One guarantee I can say is that I'll be ready come season, training camp, all those good things," Langford said.
Langford's availability and ability to be fully healthy is key for the Colts because he was their most consistent defensive lineman during the 2015 season, when he tied for the team high in sacks with seven.
Anderson was on his way to an impressive rookie season when he tore his ACL against Denver in Week 9 of the 2015 season. He returned in time to play nine games last season, but in reality he didn't look like the same player because he spent a significant amount of time regaining confidence in his knee.
"I feel good and hopefully all the injuries are kind of in the past now and I can kind of be injury-free for as long as possible," Anderson said earlier in the offseason. "I am definitely looking forward to being out there 100 percent and playing like I know I can and being a playmaker and making plays. I am excited."
A healthy Langford and Anderson on the outside, with Hankins clogging the middle of the defensive line, gives the Colts hope that their dreadful run defense will improve.
