Cowboys Randy Gregory Update: Appears to have turned a corner

Although still months away from returning to a football field, Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory appears to have turned a corner in his personal life.

Thursday, April 30, 2015 was a long night for Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory. With his family in attendance, Gregory sat with several other hopefuls in Green Room of the 2015 NFL Draft in Chicago, waiting to hear their name called by commissioner Roger Goodell.

The young pass rusher was undoubtedly a top-ten talent. Unfortunately, a failed drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine made Gregory’s draft status an unknown. But name after name, selection after selection, Randy and his family painfully started to realize the impact of that mistake.

After the first day of the draft , Gregory still didn’t have a NFL home. In fact, he would fall all the way down to the 60th overall selection in the second round before the Dallas Cowboys decided to take a chance on him. Heralded as a boom-or-bust pick, many pundits predicted the young man’s downfall before he even took a single step on the football field as a professional. One year later, they were proven right.

After a high ankle injury plagued Gregory throughout his rookie season, the Cowboys were hoping the young pass rusher would take a step up in his development in 2016. Instead, they received news in February that the league had suspended the young defensive end for the first four games of the regular season for violating their substance abuse policy.

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Although the news of Gregory’s suspension was worrisome, it was only the tip of the iceberg. In late July, just prior to the start of Cowboys training camp, the team was notified that Gregory had failed yet another drug test. In response, Randy immediately entered a drug treatment facility.

Earlier this month, Gregory got out of rehab. Although a league source reports he continues to receive regular treatment in Dallas. The following week, Gregory withdrew his appeal of the ten-game suspension for his latest drug violation. This newest suspension, combined with his previous four-game penalty means the earliest the 23-year old pass rusher can take the field for the Cowboys is Week 16.

But that extra time away from football and it’s pressures could be a blessing in disguise. According to one longtime NFL insider, sources close to Gregory say he’s already made some significant changes in his life.

"“…those who know Gregory insist he has been clean for more than four months and is doing as well as he has in recent memory,” wrote Adam Schefter on ESPN.com recently. “He has changed his attitude and priorities, added weight, worked out regularly and impressed the people around him, who believe he has turned a corner in his personal life. They acknowledge that there still is work to do, and it always will be a battle, but…they believe he can be a significant factor for the Cowboys once he is allowed to return to football.”"

Due to his draft status, the Cowboys will certainly give Gregory another shot at redemption. But even Jerry jones, Dallas’ gregarious and fiercely loyal owner and general manager, has his limits. And the young pass rusher has been burning through his second chances at an alarming rate.

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As for the Cowboys themselves, getting Gregory back late in the season could be beneficial if they can secure a playoff bid. But the second-year rusher is coming off a rookie season where he recorded 11 total tackles and had zero sacks in 12 games. Combined that with the fact Gregory missed training camp entirely, and I wouldn’t expect much production from the young defensive end this year.

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