Getty Cowboys DE Randy Gregory
On one hand, Jerry Jones is thrilled about Randy Gregory’s eye-popping Week 16 performance, a reminder of his immense if largely untapped upside.
“I’m just excited,” Jones told SI.com’s Mike Fisher on 105.3 The Fan. “I have visions of a future for Randy here with the Cowboys that can meet the promise we really were looking at when we drafted him in the second round.”
On the other, the Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager is peeved that it took this long for the mercurial defensive end to get — and stay — on the field.
And the excuses Jones heard from the coaching staff added to his displeasure.
“Conditioning, you could say that,” Jones told Fisher. “Not wearing him down. Those are things — maybe situational, but what (coaches) maybe didn’t see is how he’s evolving in the progression and how he’s just getting better and better.”
Gregory was on the field for 35 snaps (47.9%) in last Sunday’s 37-17 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles. He made each rep count, stuffing the stat sheet with three solo tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks, and one pass deflection.
The effort, which earned him a stellar 94.6 grade via Pro Football Focus, was utterly dominant from the opening whistle. Gregory helped terrorize impressive Eagles rookie QB Jalen Hurts, who was sacked three times, threw two interceptions, and lost a fumble in his welcome-to-the-NFL game.
This is why the Cowboys made him the No. 60 overall pick in 2015, and why the team stuck by the 28-year-old amid his off-field struggles and subsequent league suspensions.
“I thought when we drafted him he was the best pass-rusher in the draft,” Jones told Fisher. “And that’s why I took the risk on him that I took. But it was a risk at the time and we paid for that risk (with Gregory spending two years under NFL suspension). Randy will be the first to tell you. And now it’s paying off for us.”
#Cowboys DE Randy Gregory was dominant yesterday.
Here are a few of his best plays from Week 16:
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Jerry’s Command for Finale
Fisher interpreted the following quote as Jones “demanding” his coaching staff give Gregory an extended look in Sunday’s must-win regular-season finale against the New York Giants. And it’s difficult to argue, considering the context.
“We need to have him in there every time that we get a chance,” Jones said during his interview.
It’s a prime matchup for Gregory, facing a Giants offensive line that’s allowed 48 sacks through 15 games, second-most in the NFL behind Philadelphia (62). Much of that is due to erratic QB Daniel Jones, who took a whopping six sacks in last week’s loss to Baltimore.
Gregory currently ranks third among Dallas defenders with 3.5 sacks. He’s chipped in 20 tackles (15 solo) and three forced fumbles across 250 snaps — just 23.88% of the unit’s total snaps.
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