It’s been a long road to get back into the NFL for Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory. Gregory has been on ice for over a year, following a suspension that wiped out his entire 2019 season. Finally, after much speculation, Gregory was reinstated last month.
Gregory returned to the practice field for the first time since the 2018 playoffs in the last week. On Thursday, the Cowboys workhorse running back Ezekiel Elliott gave reporters an update on how the former second-round pick looked on the practice field.
“I mean, Randy was lights out, out there today,” Elliott said. “It was really tough to block him. I’m excited to get Randy back. He’s got those fresh legs and he looks better than I’ve ever seen him.”
Per the terms of his conditional reinstatement, Gregory is eligible to return to the playing field on October 25 when the Cowboys hit the road to square off against the Washington Football Team.
The Cowboys could use some additional firepower to their pass rush. They rank 20th in the NFL in sacks per game (2) and of the 10 they’ve accumulated almost half have come from Aldon Smith (4) who recently returned after a five-year absence.
The last time Gregory was on the field he was quite productive. He finished second on the team with six sacks while also logging two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 14 games. The club gave him a one-year extension worth $2.1 million in 2021 with a signing bonus of $200,000, showing their committment to his return. To this point in his career, Gregory’s multiple suspensions have had him miss more games than he’s appeared in.
With the NFL’s shifting policy on marijuana, the ledger may soon become balanced as Gregory has never been in trouble for any reason other than positive or missed drug tests.
Gregory has overcome his demons off of the field and is now in a position to maximize the talent that made him one of the best pass rushers coming into the NFL in 2015.
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