When the Dallas Cowboys return to the field in 2020, they reportedly plan to do so with Randy Gregory as a member of the team. As The Inquisitr reportedly earlier, the defensive lineman is looking to be reinstated by the NFL this spring. If he is indeed allowed back on the field, the talk around Dallas’ front office is that they intend to give him more one shot to prove that he can be the dominant defensive player he was while playing for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
As Asa Henry of The Cowboys Wire reports, the team is quite thin on the defensive front, especially after losing Robert Quinn. That is one of the reasons the team is more hopeful than usual for Gregory to be reinstated and return to the field. This is actually the second time the player has filed for reinstatement.
The previous time, he heard nothing back from the NFL, which was the equivalent of a “no.” Now that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is the law of the land, the former Husker believes he has a better chance. The new CBA specifically states that players cannot be suspended for testing positive for marijuana unless they refuse to enter a treatment program after a positive test. Gregory’s myriad troubles with the league have all stemmed from marijuana issues and he believes the relaxation of rules on that front will allow him to return to the field.
David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports the Cowboys feel the same.
“The expectation at The Star is that the defensive end will again have an opportunity to live into the promise that prompted the Cowboys to select him in the second round of the 2015 draft.”
Moore pointed out that the team is taking a different approach with Gregory than it is with another defensive lineman who is also currently suspended under the league’s substance abuse policy. Defensive tackle David Irving has said he too has begun the reinstatement process, but it doesn’t appear the front office has any desire to bring him back, even if he is allowed to play again.
Randy Gregory appears to be a special case because of the flashes he’s shown when he has played. He appeared in 12 games in his rookie campaign, but just two the following year. He tested positive for marijuana a couple of times over that period and was suspended for the entirety of the 2017 season.
He made a return to the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 and despite starting just one game, he played in 14 total and recorded 25 tackles, 15 quarterback hits, and six sacks. Now the team wants to see what he can do when a suspension isn’t hanging over his head.