What does Randy Gregory bring to the Broncos?

The Denver Broncos followed up their day one signing of D.J. Jones with a five-year, $70 million contract for Randy Gregory, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys. The 60th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft after a failed drug test at the NFL Combine, Gregory received four suspensions from the league for violating the substance abuse policy, costing him 54 games from 2016-2020. The 29-year-old had a breakout season in 2021, notching 19 tackles and six sacks along with 43 pressures in 12 regular season games. He followed it up with a four tackles in the Cowboys playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Gregory’s journey through free agency to Denver is a notable one. He initially re-signed with the Cowboys on the contract he agreed to with the Broncos, only the Cowboys reportedly tried to amend the deal after it was agreed to. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Dallas wanted to protect itself “in case some stuff happened with Randy Gregory that had happened previously in his career.”

To get a better feel for what the Broncos will get with Randy Gregory I spoke with Connor Livesay, who covers the Cowboys for Blogging the Boys.

1st and 10

What does Randy Gregory bring to the Broncos? What are his strengths? Does he have any notable weaknesses fans should be aware of?

Livesay: Gregory has developed into a really nice complete DE. When he first got into the league he really just had his speed and length, but he’s built up his body to be able win with strength as well as both a rusher and run defender. He can win extremely quick off the ball, and has developed some nice inside counters to complement his speed and bend. Always near the top of the list of pass-rush win rates and advanced pass rush metrics.

2nd and 8

Gregory switched sides to Denver after seeming to agree to terms to the same deal with Dallas. According to Rap sheet he had an issue with protections in the contract. How do you feel about losing Gregory, and how are Cowboys fans handling the news?

Livesay: Losing Gregory really hurts. With Gregory Dallas would have a three headed pass rush monster, but now you’re back to Tank and Micah, who will still need to play a ton of snaps as an off the ball linebacker. Gregory’s threat as a rusher would have taken pressure off of DeMarcus Lawrence, and really make it tough on opposing offenses.

3rd and 3

One concern I have with Gregory is that he’s only had one 40+ pressure season by Sports Info Solutions’ charting and it came after Micah Parsons was drafted. Do you think he can be as productive in Denver as he was for Dallas last year?

Livesay: Absolutely. Even before Micah, Gregory received a ton of attention, and was effective in his role. It was extremely disappointing in 2020 to see DC Mike Nolan prefer Aldon Smith over Gregory, even though Randy was twice as productive as a rusher and run defender on the right side of the defensive line. Gregory paired up with Chubb will be a ton of fun too watch from afar.

4th and inches

Do you like this move for the Broncos?

Livesay: I love this move for Denver. A lot of people will talk about the suspensions, but Randy has completely transformed himself over the last two years. Randy isn’t a bad guy, he battled some mental health issues early in his career, and used marijuana to cope. Now that the NFL has relaxed the punishment on substance abuse, I’d have zero issues giving him the contract they did, and I think he’ll outplay the deal in Denver’s defense.