The NFL free agency period already has a significant plot twist that involves the Dallas Cowboys and controversial edge-rusher Randy Gregory.
The Cowboys released a story on social media that they were bringing back Randy Gregory with a five-year, $70 million deal. But just hours later, it was confirmed that Gregory was signing not with the Dallas Cowboys but with the Denver Broncos for the same contract.
It was reported that Gregory was skittish with the contract language the Cowboys had in the deal. Skip Bayless thinks the "turncoat move" will come back to haunt the Denver Broncos and Gregory and uses the LeBron James/Draymond Green incident from 2016 as an example.
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During the 2016 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors were up 3-1 in the series over LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers. In Game 4, Green "flopped" in an incident with James and swung his arm and hit James in the groin. He received a Flagrant 1 for the contract and was suspended for Game 5. Karma came around to screw Green and the Golden State Warriors in a big way. The Cavaliers made an epic comeback to win the NBA Finals in seven games, winning the next three straight games.
Skip Bayless, a Cowboys fan, feels Karma will also strike his co-host, Shannon Sharpe, and Denver Broncos, for stealing Gregory away.
"One of my favorite words...Karma with a K...It is a word that once Draymond Green called Lebron James in the middle of a finals game and got suspended...that's what Karma can be...this is a Karma decision by Randy Gregory."
Bayless calls it a "karma situation" because Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reached out to take a chance on the troubled edge-rusher. Dallas drafted him in the second round despite being a first-round talent with major red flags. While with the Cowboys, Gregory found himself suspended for 54 games...and the team was still willing to offer him a very handsome contract this year.
The language in the contract that spooked Gregory in the first place was more of a "safety" plan for Dallas. If Gregory gets in trouble again, the Cowboys could take back a portion of his contract. From Randy's viewpoint, if Denver is willing to offer the same money without the loopholes, he will go out west.
Will Dallas Cowboys be OK without Randy Gregory?
The Dallas Cowboys lost a player who posted six sacks in 2021 and has 15.5 through the last three years. Randy Gregory will be missed on the defensive line, but what will be the effect?
For now, Demarcus Lawrence remains on the roster as a proven veteran who is three years removed from his last season with 10+ sacks. Defensive tackle Neville Gallimore is entering his third season as a solid run-stuffer. Without Gregory on the roster, Dorance Armstrong is the current starter. He had five sacks in 2021 after having just 2.5 through the previous three years. 2021 rookie Chauncey Golston was drafted in the third round but had just one sack on the season.
Micah Parsons' 13 sacks as an outside linebacker will help counter the loss of Randy Gregory. The Dallas Cowboys focused primarily on the defense in last year's draft but won't avoid taking another edge-rusher to bolster their defensive line.
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