49ers' new acquisition Randy Gregory won't play vs Cowboys on Sunday Night Football

The San Francisco 49ers have chosen not to incorporate new edge rusher Randy Gregory into the game plan for Sunday night’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Gregory, who started his career with the Cowboys, went to San Francisco in a trade from the Broncos on Friday.

“Newly-acquired pass rusher Randy Gregory, whom Denver traded to SF this week, will not be active tonight against his former Cowboys’ team and will wait another week to make his 49ers’ debut,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday.

The terms of the trade, per Schefter, were Denver exchanges Gregory and a 2024 7th-round pick for a 2024 6th-round pick from the 49ers. Gregory has had a whirlwind career, playing six-plus seasons for two teams across nine years.

After getting drafted by the Cowboys in the 2nd round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Nebraska, Gregory played in 12 games and looked like a potentially solid piece. However, he’d miss most of the 2016 and all of the 2017 season due to failed drug tests.

He returned to play for the Cowboys in 2018, tallying six sacks and 15 quarterback hits in 14 games, including one start.

However, he was suspended indefinitely and missed the 2019 season after more violations of the league substance abuse policies.

Gregory was reinstated ahead of the 2020 season and has not missed time due to suspension since. In recent years, his struggle has been with health.

In 2021 for Dallas, the edge rusher posted six sacks in 12 games. He also added three forced fumbles, an interception, and 17 quarterback hits. Last season for the Broncos, while battling injuries, he played in just six games, tallying two sacks with 12 tackles. In four games this season, he’s posted nine tackles with a sack and a tackle for loss.

Gregory won’t face former team on Sunday

Randy Gregory and the Cowboys parted on slightly less than amicable terms due to contract negotiations with Jerry Jones.

The Cowboys owner initially stated that the edge rusher tried to increase his already agreed-upon deal, making it a deal too rich for Dallas. To that, the defender argued that he ended up agreeing to the same compensation with the Broncos, with slightly different terms.

Gregory himself responded to the comments, stating Jones was acting like he was “scorned,” and referred to an old and unusual name Jones gave to his desired pass rushers. Jones stated in 2017 that the Cowboys needed a “war-daddy” pass rusher, and the team believed at the time that they needed one in addition to Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence who were already on the team. Dallas certainly found that in Micah Parsons.

“Hell hath no fury like a scorned….owner?” Gregory wrote in April of 2022. “Mans needs to let it go and go find his war daddy already.”

Prior to those comments, Jones told reporters that he’d always root for his former draft pick.