Jeremy Langford (born December 6, 1991) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. The ...
who is a free agent. He played
college football at
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It ...
, and was drafted by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...
in the fourth round of the
2015 NFL Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previo ...
.
Early years
Langford attended
John Glenn High School in
Westland, Michigan
Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located about west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094. It is the 10th largest city and 12th largest municipality in Mich ...
, where he played
football and ran track. As a senior, he rushed for 1932 yards on 205 carries with 24
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...
.
He was also on the school's
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
team, where he competed as a sprinter. At the 2010 Huron Relays, he placed 7th in the
60 meters at 7.11 seconds. He was timed at 10.6 seconds in the
100 meters
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
as a high school junior.
Regarded as a three-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com'', he was ranked the No. 37 running back nationally. He chose Michigan State over scholarship offers from
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
and
Bowling Green
A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls.
Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
.
College career
Langford was red-shirted as a freshman in 2010. As a red-shirt freshman in 2011, he was a backup
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. The ...
and played
special teams
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...
, recording a
sack and a
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...
on a fumble return. In 2012, he was a backup to
Le'Veon Bell, rushing nine times for 23 yards. As a junior in 2013, he started all 14 games, rushing for 1,422 yards on 292 carries with 18
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...
. As a senior, he rushed for a career-high 1,522 yards on 276 carries and recorded 22 touchdowns, tying the school record set by
Javon Ringer in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
. In the
2015 Cotton Bowl versus
Baylor, he rushed for 162 yards on 27 carries and three touchdowns, helping lead the Spartans to a 42–41 victory.
Career statistics
Professional career
Chicago Bears
Langford was drafted in the fourth round (106th overall) by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...
in the
2015 NFL Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previo ...
. He was the ninth running back selected out of the 23 drafted.
2015
On May 8, 2015, the Chicago Bears signed Langford to a four-year,
$2.82 million contract that includes a
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $292,562.
He entered training camp competing with
Jacquizz Rodgers,
Senorise Perry
Senorise Perry (born September 19, 1991) is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Louisville. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and has also played fo ...
, and
Ka'Deem Carey for the backup running back position. Langford was named the Bears' third running back on their depth chart behind veterans
Matt Forte
Matthew Garrett Forte (born December 10, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave and was drafte ...
and Jacquizz Rodgers to begin the regular season. During the Chicago Bears season opener against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
, he received his first career carry for one-yard. The next game, he had six carries for 21 yards while scoring his first career rushing touchdown on a one-yard run against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...
. Throughout the first seven games of the season, Langford had a light workload, backing up long-time Bears running back
Matt Forte
Matthew Garrett Forte (born December 10, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave and was drafte ...
. In Week 8, against the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...
, he had a season high 12 carries for 46 rushing yards after Forte left the game with a knee injury. Langford received his first career start on November 9, 2015, filling in for injured veteran
Matt Forte
Matthew Garrett Forte (born December 10, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave and was drafte ...
against the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
, gaining 73 rushing yards on 20 carries and a rushing touchdown, as well as 70 receiving yards on three catches which included a 23-yard gain, and a 31-yard catch, helping the Bears come back in the fourth quarter and win the Week 9 match-up, 23–20. Langford recorded a career-high 83 yards rushing on 18 carries against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
on December 27, 2015.
2016
Langford opened up the 2016 season as the Bears starting running back. He started the first three games before suffering an ankle sprain in Week 3, causing him to miss several weeks. During that time, rookie
Jordan Howard
Jordan Reginald Howard (born November 2, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at UAB and Indiana.
High school career
Howard played high school football at Gardendale High School in Gardenda ...
had emerged as the starting running back in his absence. Langford returned to action in Week 8, however Howard kept the starting job the rest of the season, demoting Langford to the second-string. He finished the season with 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns, along with 19 receptions for 142 yards.
On September 3, 2017, Langford was released by the Bears after falling down the depth chart behind Jordan Howard, rookie
Tarik Cohen
Tarik Cohen (born July 26, 1995) is an American football running back who is a free agent. Cohen played the same position for North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University before being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Dr ...
, and
Benny Cunningham.
Baltimore Ravens
On September 5, 2017, Langford was signed to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
' practice squad. On September 14, 2017, Langford was promoted to the active roster after an injury to
Danny Woodhead
Daniel Jacob Henry Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an amateur golfer who has qualified for the United States Golf Association championship tournaments, and was a former professional American football running back. He played college football ...
. However two days later, Langford was waived by the Ravens and re-signed back to the practice squad. He was released by the team on September 27, 2017.
New York Jets
On December 8, 2017, the
New York Jets signed Langford to their practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on January 10, 2018. He was waived on April 13, 2018.
Miami Dolphins
On August 6, 2018, Langford signed with the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...
. He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 5, 2018.
Atlanta Falcons
On November 28, 2018, Langford was signed to the
Atlanta Falcons practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 18, 2018. He appeared in one game, against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
in Week 17, and had nine carries for 25 rushing yards. On May 11, 2019, the Falcons waived/injured Langford, and was subsequently placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
on May 14 after clearing waivers. He was released on June 26, 2019.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
On April 23, 2020, Langford signed with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded i ...
. He was placed on the suspended list on July 3, 2021. He was released on August 11, 2021.
Personal life
Langford was raised by his mother, Shamine Langford, and his father, Jeffrey Langford. He is the cousin of NFL running back
Peyton Barber.
References
External links
Baltimore Ravens bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langford, Jeremy
1991 births
Living people
People from Wayne, Michigan
Players of American football from Michigan
American football running backs
Michigan State Spartans football players
Chicago Bears players
Baltimore Ravens players
New York Jets players
Miami Dolphins players
Atlanta Falcons players
Saskatchewan Roughriders players