After missing all of last season due to suspension, Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory was conditionally reinstated by the NFL on Friday, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Gregory applied for reinstatement in March, but no judgment was rendered until now – roughly a week from the start of the season.
Randy Gregory was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round in 2015, but has dealt with multiple suspensions over the years, all of which were marijuana-related. The NFL passed earlier this year a new collective bargaining agreement that effectively makes such suspensions a thing of the past.
The 27-year-old will able to report to the Cowboys on Monday, September 7th, for COVID testing and will be allowed to take part in meetings, individual workouts, and conditioning activities. He won’t be able to practice with the team until October 5th or play a game until October 25th at Washington.
Gregory will join Demarcus Lawrence and new acquisitions Aldon Smith and Everson Griffen as notable names at the defensive end position for the Cowboys. It’s not likely he’ll start, since he’s missed all of training camp and will have missed six games by the time he’s able to take the field. That being said, he started only once in his last season (2018), and still made an impact with six sacks over the 14 games he played.
It will be interesting to see the trajectory of Gregory’s career from here on. Without suspensions related to marijuana to take him away from the game, we may finally see him have enough time to really grow as a player. He’s never had back-to-back seasons in which he’s played the majority of games.
If his 2018 season was any indication, he will have much to offer with more time on the field, and the Cowboys defensive line looks like a force to be reckoned with this 2020 season.
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