Dallas Cowboys: 5 Early bold predictions for the 2021 season

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Jun 8, 2021; Frisco, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory (94) goes through drills against Dallas Cowboys tackle Ty Nsekhe (79) during voluntary Organized Team Activities at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Randy Gregory will rack up 14 sacks

Randy Gregory has been in the NFL since 2015 but has just 38 career games played. The young man has been dealt one suspension after another but after the league softened its stance on marijuana punishments, he got another shot in 2020.

After still having to sit out six games for some reason, Gregory played in the final 10 for Dallas and had 21 tackles with 3.5 sacks. He could have done more but for some reason, former defensive coordinator Mike Nolan never wanted to give him the snaps he deserved.

Mike McCarthy spoke about that as the team prepared for minicamps, and said they were trying to be smart, but understands now that he should have played more.

"“When I look at Randy’s personal evaluation (last season) I gave him two arrows pointing up…if you recall … we tried to integrate him (following his six-game suspension) and we were just trying to be smart.” “Then you get at the end of the season and you look at his production and you’re like, ‘Well, Coach, why the hell didn’t he play more?’” — McCarthy said about Gregory via Mike Fisher of SI’s Cowboys Maven"

New defensive coordinator Dan Quinn seems to be ready to take the proverbial training wheels off and has been impressed with Gregory so far. McCarthy also said that he could be a “premium player” for Dallas.

This second bold prediction is that Gregory not only makes them look foolish for holding him back in 2020 but also leads the team with at least 14 sacks. That will make things interesting as his contract expires after this season, but needing to pay players for great production is the right kind of problem to have.

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