After missing the entire 2017 season due to a substance-abuse suspension, Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory is in the process of applying for reinstatement, according to a Dallas Morning News report.
Per the report, Gregory still has steps to take and paperwork to file before petitioning commissioner Roger Goodell for reinstatement, but Gregory reportedly “is doing well” and “adhering to his program.”
Gregory, 25, was suspended for at least one year in January of 2017, his third such suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told reporters at the combine that the team cannot count on Gregory moving forward, though his return would be a bonus.
“We assume worst case,” Jones said at the time. “We have to move forward assuming Randy is not going to be here. If he is here, obviously it’s a big deal.”
Gregory received his first NFL suspension — for four games — in February of 2016 and an additional 10-game suspension was announced in June of 2016, keeping him out for all but the final two contests of the 2016 season. He played in those games while appealing the year-plus suspension that was ultimately upheld in January.
According to previous reports, Gregory has missed or failed at least five drug tests during his time with the Cowboys.
Widely considered a top-10 prospect in the 2015 draft, Gregory slid to the end of the second round after he failed a drug test at the combine, ultimately going 60th overall to the Cowboys.
He played 244 snaps across 12 games as a rookie but finished with no sacks and just 11 tackles. He saw 66 snaps in two games at the end of the 2016 season, collecting nine tackles and his first career sack.
The Cowboys took a defensive end, Michigan product Taco Charlton, with their first-round pick in last year’s draft and assigned the franchise tag — worth $17.143 million in 2018 — to DeMarcus Lawrence earlier this offseason to prevent him from hitting free agency. Dallas has until July 16 to sign Lawrence to a long-term agreement, or his contract will expire again after the 2018 season.
–Field Level Media
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