T. J. Lang

American football player (born 1987)

American football player
T. J. Lang
refer to caption
Lang in 2022
No. 70, 76
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (1987-09-20) September 20, 1987 (age 36)
Ferndale, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:315 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school:Brother Rice (Bloomfield Township, Michigan)
College:Eastern Michigan
NFL draft:2009 / Round: 4 / Pick: 109
Career history
  • Green Bay Packers (2009–2016)
  • Detroit Lions (2017–2018)
Career highlights and awards
  • Super Bowl champion (XLV)
  • 2× Pro Bowl (2016, 2017)
Career NFL statistics
Games played:138
Games started:113
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Thomas John Lang (born September 20, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Eastern Michigan Eagles and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL draft. Lang was a member of the Packers' Super Bowl XLV win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and has also played for the Detroit Lions.

Early years

Lang was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. He attended Lakeland High School in White Lake, Michigan before transferring to Brother Rice High School in Birmingham, Michigan.[1][2] He played on both the offensive and defensive line. As a senior, he had 59 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery on defense.

College career

T. J. Lang attended Eastern Michigan University. As a freshman, Lang played in all 11 games as a defensive lineman, recording 11 tackles, in the 2005 season. As a sophomore in 2006 Lang moved to offensive tackle and started all 36 games over the next three years.[3]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Bench press
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m)
316 lb
(143 kg)
5.15 s 1.75 s 2.97 s 4.42 s 26.5 in
(0.67 m)
30 reps
All values are from Pro Day[4]

Green Bay Packers

TJ Lang with the Packers

Lang was selected in the fourth round (109th overall) by the Green Bay Packers in the 2009 NFL draft.[5][6] On July 7, 2009, he signed a contract with the Packers. Lang started his first game at the left tackle position versus the Cleveland Browns due to an injury to Chad Clifton.[7]

On August 14, 2012, Lang signed a four-year contract extension with the Packers worth $20.8 million and a $5.5 million signing bonus through the 2016 season.[8]

For his play during the 2016 season, Lang earned his first Pro Bowl appearance in the 2017 Pro Bowl.[9]

Detroit Lions

On March 12, 2017, Lang signed a three-year contract with the Detroit Lions.[10] He started 13 games at right guard in his first season in Detroit, on his way to his second Pro Bowl.[11]

In 2018, Lang started six games at right guard, missing three games due to head, back, and neck injuries, before being placed on injured reserve on November 14, 2018.[12]

On March 8, 2019, Lang was released by the Lions.[13]

On March 29, 2019, Lang announced his retirement from the NFL.[14]

Broadcasting career

Lang joined the Detroit Lions Radio Network as a sideline reporter beginning in the 2021 season.[15]

Personal life

Lang appeared in the movie Pitch Perfect 2 with a group of then-teammates.[16]

References

  1. ^ Caputo, Pat. "Pat Caputo - Thoughts on T.J. Lang signing with Detroit Lions". The Oakland Press. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  2. ^ "T.J. Lang, Brother Rice , Strong-Side Defensive End". 247Sports. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "T.J. Lang College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  4. ^ "T.J. Lang - Eastern Michigan, OG : 2009 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  5. ^ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  6. ^ "T.J. Lang Draft Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  7. ^ "Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns - October 25th, 2009". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  8. ^ Dunne, Tyler (August 14, 2012). "Lang earns new deal with Packers". JSOnline.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  9. ^ "NFL announces 2017 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  10. ^ Orr, Conor (March 12, 2017). "Detroit Lions sign guard T.J. Lang to three-year deal". NFL.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  11. ^ Twentyman, Tim (January 19, 2018). "T.J. Lang named to 2018 Pro Bowl". DetroitLions.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018.
  12. ^ Birkett, Dave (November 14, 2018). "T.J. Lang's Detroit Lions career could be over; now on injured reserve". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  13. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 8, 2019). "Lions release vet guard T.J. Lang after two seasons". NFL.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  14. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 29, 2019). "Ex-Packers, Lions OL T.J. Lang retiring after 10 seasons". NFL.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  15. ^ Crawford, Kirkland (August 5, 2021). "Detroit Lions' new radio sideline reporter: Former offensive lineman T.J. Lang". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  16. ^ Schneidman, Matt (September 7, 2020). "Did you know? An interesting tidbit about every player on the Packers roster". The Athletic. Retrieved September 9, 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to T. J. Lang.
  • Green Bay Packers bio Archived May 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  • Eastern Michigan Eagles bio
  • Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · ESPN · CBS Sports · Yahoo! Sports · Pro Football Reference
  • v
  • t
  • e
Green Bay Packers 2009 NFL draft selections
  • v
  • t
  • e
Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XLV champions