Breaking down the Dallas Cowboys 2019 defensive end depth chart

Randy Gregory

Last but not least, we have Randy Gregory. The former second-round pick out of Nebraska started to break out in 2018 as he had 25 tackles and six sacks as a situational pass rusher. He was the player coming on the field on third downs when Taco Charlton — and later Tyrone Crawford — were heading to the sidelines.

It was a great story as Gregory was able to put nearly two full seasons of suspensions behind him and play in 14 games for the team that took the gamble on him back in 2015.

Gregory was a top-10 talent but had a lot of issues in school who showed up at the NFL Combine and tested positive. He played in 12 games as a rookie as injuries slowed him down but was suspended to start the 2016 season. He returned for the final two games and posted his first career sack but was then banned for a calendar year.

He sat out all of 2017 for that suspension before going through a long process to prove to the NFL that he should be given another chance. They finally granted that and he started to show flashes of the player we saw at Nebraska.

Then after the season, Gregory was again suspended — this time indefinitely. There seems to be a bit of hope that he can return at some time this season and the Cowboys even extended his deal while he was suspended which means they believe he will be back sooner rather than later.

However, until we see him on the field, this is going to be a player that the team simply shouldn’t count on having. If they do get him, that’s a huge plus. If not, they’re thankfully ready to go without him.