Dallas Cowboys: Randy Gregory would return with no expectations

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory reportedly will apply for reinstatement soon, but a return would come with no expectations for him.

Prior to the NFL Scouting Combine in 2015, most scouts had Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory projected as a surefire first-round pick. However, the former Husker failed a drug test for marijuana at the Combine, thus causing his stock to fall. Still, the Dallas Cowboys saw enough potential to select him with the 60th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. To this point, however, he has not rewarded the franchise for taking a chance on him.

Gregory saw the field a bit in his rookie season, though injuries caused him to get off to a rocky start. Things only got rockier from there, however. In February 2016, Gregory was suspended for four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Still in the same offseason, the defensive end failed a second drug test, causing him to have 10 additional games added to his suspension. As a result, he played in only two games for the Cowboys in 2016.

While he was suspended during that season, reports also surfaced that he had failed yet another drug test and was facing a year-long suspension. That punishment was levied after the conclusion of the 2016 campaign, forcing Gregory out for the entirety of the 2017 season. Now, he’s looking to come back.

According to Bobby Belt of SB Nation Radio, Gregory intends to apply for reinstatement sometime in the next couple of weeks:

Given his history with failed drug tests to this point, it stands to reason that Gregory’s reinstatement is not a foregone conclusion. Having said that, his return to the field for the Cowboys would make things intriguing.

Despite his off-field concerns, the potential of Gregory remains undeniable. The 6-5, 255-pounder has the potential to be a force off of the edge that gets into the backfield and generates pressure, thus making the defense around him better. His issue has simply been staying on the field and being able to make that happen.

Having said that, the Cowboys have been addressing their edge rush in recent years and have built a solid unit. They have Demarcus Lawrence coming off a superstar-like season and playing on the franchise tag, a veteran rotational piece in Kony Ealy, a versatile lineman in David Irving and a second-year prospect with promise in Taco Charlton. Adding Gregory to that mix would give them a hell of a rotation, especially if he’s able to progress and has stayed in shape.

At this point though, the big thing is Gregory being able to stay on the field. If he is indeed reinstated, he will come back to Dallas with absolutely no expectations. Frankly, he’s not proven anything to anyone at this point aside from the notion that he’s unreliable, something he’ll have to work to disprove.

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But if he does come back, and does work out on the Dallas defensive line, he creates a hell of a mismatch in favor of the Cowboys in terms of their pass rushing rotation.