Will Randy Gregory participate in Dallas Cowboys training camp?

The Dallas Cowboys seemed to be preparing for life without Randy Gregory this season. But news of a petition for reinstatement brings hope he’ll play soon.

One of the biggest surprises for the Dallas Cowboys last season is the fact former second-round defensive end Randy Gregory was on the field for 14 games, posting the team’s second-highest sack total with 6.0 sacks.

Prior to last season, Gregory missed a whopping 34 games, mostly due to violations of the NFL substance abuse policy. In fact, the 26-year old was banned for the entire season in 2017. But Gregory seemed to concur his demons, returning to become a productive member of a playoff team last year.

Unfortunately, all that hard work came crashing down in February when the league handed down a second indefinite ban on Gregory for violating its Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse and the terms of his conditional reinstatement, that news reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

But according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, his sources say Gregory intends to petition the NFL for reinstatement within the next 10 days. And the hope is the league will allow the former second rounder to participate in training camp. Moore also reported that a source claims Gregory hasn’t missed or failed a drug test during this latest suspension.

This a positive news for Cowboy fans as having Gregory on the field this season would simply add yet another pass rusher to the already stocked roster. This offseason the Cowboys traded a sixth-round draft selection in 2020 for veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn. The 29-year old’s presence on the team figured to make up for the loss of Gregory. But the potential of having both players available this upcoming season would be a dream come true.

That being said, the NFL is not known for its urgency in these kinds of matters. So it seems ambitious to think Gregory could apply for reinstatement within the next week or so and be approved to return by the start of training camp, which is Saturday, July 27th. The team will actually arrive in Oxnard, California two days before on the 25th.

If Gregory submits the required paperwork next Friday, July 12th, that would give the NFL two weeks to approve his reinstatement. Following his year-long ban in 2017, Randy applied for reinstatement in mid-May of last year. After a meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in June, Gregory was reinstated on July 17th, making it a two-month process previously.

Still, the fact the team around Randy Gregory believes it has a case of reinstatement before the start of the regular season is progress. And a reason for hope.