The Buccaneers are now a bit less needy on the defensive side of the ball, announcing they have signed veteran pass rusher/OLB Randy Gregory. Gregory played 12 games last year, including a respectable number of snaps in the 49ers overtime loss at Super Bowl LVIII.
Gregory will help to partially fill the void left by former Buccaneer linebacker Shaq Barrett after becoming a cap casualty in San Francisco early on in this year’s offseason.
Bucs sign outside linebacker Randy Gregory to 1-year deal https://t.co/IYGRht11Uk
— Sports by Tampa Bay Times (@TBTimes_Sports) April 4, 2024
A former Nebraska Cornhusker, Gregory was drafted in 2015 by the Dallas Cowboys, a team he remained with for five seasons before signing with Denver in 2022. Last season, midway through the year, Denver Head Coach Sean Payton began purging players he felt didn’t fit his vision for the team, trading Gregory to the 49ers in order to gain back some of the Draft capital lost during the universally bad Russell Wilson trade.
Although seemingly on the other side of his past issues, Randy Gregory does not come without caveats. He spent the early majority of his career embattled by the League for multiple substance abuse violations. Gregory played 12 games his rookie year in Dallas, but his run-ins with League substance-abuse policies would begin shortly thereafter.
Gregory would miss 14 games in 2016, his second season, before being suspended the entire 2017 and 2019 seasons. Gregory had some of the most amazing natural gifts on the field, but his demons off the field kept him from reaching anything resembling potential as he failed drug test after drug test, causing the NFL to say enough is enough entering the 2017 season. He would record six sacks in a 2018 season that saw his resurgence coming back from his second major suspension. He found himself behind another full season suspension in 2019.
The linebacker dealt with nearly four full seasons combined suspension time and over 100 failed drug tests by the NFL before seemingly turning a corner during the 2021 season. It’s fair to note that Gregory’s litany of substance abuse violations were for Marijuana, which the NFL has softened it’s stance on significantly. Once reinstated, those in the locker room with Gregory noted his level of responsibility and leadership had grown considerably. He was named to the Player’s Council in Dallas, a limited leadership group of 14 members that communicated needs as well as the general satisfaction and direction of the players to ownership.
After the move to Denver, production on the field dipped somewhat, but for someone with the athletic talent Gregory has, there were still teams interested in adding him as a rotational piece capable of stopping the run while adding the occasional sack as well. The 31 year old Jacksonville native enters a linebacker room led by Lavonte David, who has a knack for connecting with his teammates, so there is potential here for a major resurgence for Gregory.
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