DE Randy Gregory’s monster game shows why Dallas Cowboys were patient with him
To the surprise of no one, Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory was the highest-graded edge rusher in the NFL this past weekend by Pro Football Focus.
How could he not be after recording six tackles, 1½ sacks, two quarterback hits and three forced fumbles along with a pass breakup in the Cowboys’ 37-17 victory over the Eagles on Sunday.
Gregory became the first Cowboys player to force three fumbles in a game since David Irving did it in 2016.
Gregory simply had himself a game and provided a not-so-subtle reminder of what the fuss has been about since the Cowboys made him second-round pick in 2015 and why the team continued to stay patient with him and never gave up on him through four suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Gregory, who has played in nine games this season after being reinstated from his latest suspension, had the finest game of his career against the Eagles.
“Yeah, it was one of my better games,” Gregory said. “I think for the average viewer, they get stuck on the stats so I think I showed up there on the box score and it makes a lot of people happy. Me along with a lot of other guys, we’re never satisfied in our work. There’s still more to do, still more to get better at and that’s what we’ll do this upcoming week to prepare for the Giants.”
The Cowboys will need more production from Gregory in the season finale against the Giants. A Cowboys win coupled by a Washington loss to the Eagles puts them in the playoffs as the champs of the NFC East. Quite a feat for a Cowboys team that was in last place at 3-9 a month ago. It would be one of the most unlikely turnarounds in franchise history.
But the Cowboys never gave up, just like they never gave up on Gregory, whose journey personifies coming back from the brink of despair.
“My hat is off to him. We know what he’s been through. I’m just so fired up for him in terms of the journey that he’s taken, the challenges he’s overcome,” said vice president Stephen Jones. “Not only get out there and play, but play at a high level, which certainly you knew he could. It’s why we drafted him where we drafted him.”
Gregory feasted on an Eagles offensive line that was rolling protection and double teams to contain defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.
“His pressure was impactful,” coach Mike McCarthy said of Gregory. “You could see the number of three-man rushes and he was still applying pressure. But I like the look of our front guys. I think [defensive coordinator] Mike [Nolan] has done a great job with the personnel grouping and situational calls. We had a couple of wrinkles[Sunday] that I felt were very productive for us.”
Gregory’s continued emergence is part of an overall improvement of a Cowboys defense that was on track to be one of the worst in team history and has now become a havoc-wreaking turnover machine that sparked the team’s three-game winning streak.
The Cowboys forced three turnovers on defense against the Eagles, marking their third consecutive game with three-plus takeaways. It is the longest streak since a three-game streak in 2014.
Gregory was simply sensational all game against the Eagles but he was most proud of his ability to finish strong in the fourth quarter with a half sack, a batted down pass and a forced fumble.
It was another example of him getting used to the game and getting stronger as he gets deeper into the season after missing 53 gamesdue to the suspensions.
Gregory is third on the team in sacks and quarterback hits and second in forced fumbles despite missing the first six games.
“But as far as day-to-day, feeling strong, feeling like I can go out there and really play at my highest level,” Gregory said. “I’ve really stayed consistent with that throughout the year. Very proud of myself for that, I think in years past I couldn’t say the same. But this year, I’ve done a pretty good job.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 2:00 PM.
