The linebacker redons the Patriots’ colors after spending each of the last three seasons with the New York Jets.
Former New York Jets linebacker Harvey Langi is going back to his NFL roots, as he rejoined the New England Patriots on Monday, according to his agent Kenny Zuckerman.
Congrats to @LANGI21 for agreeing to terms with the @Patriots ! @PrioritySports @MikeReiss pic.twitter.com/SDbcJTMYix
— Kenny Zuckerman (@kenny_zuckerman) May 10, 2021
Langi, a BYU alum, began his professional career in Foxboro after entering the league as an undrafted free agent.
The newly reminted Patriot spent three seasons with the Jets, playing 30 regular season games (9 starts) after spending the 2018 campaign on their practice squad. Langi posted career-best numbers in 2020 when injuries attacked the linebacking corps.
He earned 60 tackles, including a then-career-best 10 during the Jets and Patriots’ Monday night meeting in November. Langi would break that mark with 11 two weeks later against the Los Angeles Chargers. The defender earned some social media praise for his sense of perseverance on a play during the fourth quarter of the former contest. Langi missed an open sack on Cam Newton but rushed down to make the tackle on receiver Jakobi Meyers. He also tallied a fumble recovery against Miami, the first of his career.
Langi originally joined the Patriots in 2017, partaking in New England’s trek to Super Bowl LII. However, he only partook in a single game of the campaign, limited by a serious car accident where he sustained head, neck, and back injuries. His first game back from the accident was the Jets’ Week 1 contest against Buffalo to open the 2019 season.
Set to turn 29 in September, Langi provides veteran depth to a Patriots defense that ranked 15th in yards allowed last season. He also becomes the second former Jet to join up with the former kings of the AFC East, as the released Henry Anderson will likewise don the Flying Elvis. Kyle Van Noy, a four-season veteran, likewise returns after spending 2020 in Miami.
The Jets’ current linebacking corps is expected to be headlined by the returning C.J. Mosley, who has been limited to two games over the last couple of seasons due to injuries and a COVID-19 opt-out. Jarrad Davis was added from Detroit in free agency, while the team drafted converted secondary defenders Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
