Cleveland Browns: 5 replacements for Jadeveon Clowney in free agency
By Randy Gurzi
Cleveland Browns replacement No. 2: Randy Gregory
There was a point where it seemed Randy Gregory was never going to play in the NFL. A star pass-rusher at Nebraska, Gregory came into the NFL with issues as he struggled to pass a drug test. Those problems continued as was suspended on and off again several times from 2015 through 2020.
In fact, he missed the entire 2017 and 2019 campaigns for the Dallas Cowboys. The team that took him in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft remained patient and even gave him a contract extension that kept him in Dallas for the 2021 season — before he returned in 2020.
Eventually, he did get back on the field that year and in 10 games, he had 3.5 sacks. Then when Mike Nolan was fired as defensive coordinator and Dan Quinn took over, Gregory started to show his potential. He missed five games due to an injury but he still recorded a personal best six sacks (tied with his 2018 total) and pressured the opposing quarterback 29 times.
Of course, not everything is good with Gregory. While his issues seem to be in the past — meaning suspension shouldn’t be a huge concern at this point — he does have some in-game gaffes to consider. Gregory seems to be good for one false start penalty, or one for being lined up in the neutral zone nearly every week. His talent oftentimes makes up for it but that’s something that has to be taken into consideration should a team be looking to bring him in.