Defense is proving one more time to be the Denver Broncos MVP through the first two weeks this season, and big-money free agent pickup Randy Gregory is big part of it.
The former Dallas Cowboys edge rusher who joined the Denver Broncos in the off-season received a lot of mixed reviews from both fans and media. It made people use the phrase “Denver signed Gregory instead of former Broncos player Von Miller.” While yes, the Broncos did sign Randy Gregory instead of Miller, Gregory is still one of the most fun players to watch when he has been on the field.
Miller will always be a Bronco at heart. Even he will tell that to you, but it is now time to usher in a new era of players to create their own legacy with the Broncos. Gregory is starting to do that in his first games.
Randy Gregory making his presence felt early for the Denver Broncos
Gregory attended the University of Nebraska from 2013-2014 under head coach Bo Pelini. He originally planned to attend Purdue University but chose the Cornhuskers instead. Gregory went on to be one of the better prospects in the country and was well on his way to becoming a top-15 player in the 2015 NFL Draft. A little before the NFL Draft, Gregory was busted for marijuana causing his draft stock to plummet to the second round where he fell to the Dallas Cowboys.
It was there where his NFL career became an uphill battle. The marijuana issue continued with the Cowboys; however, Jerry Jones and some others were Gregory’s accountability partners through this whole ordeal. All throughout his time on and off the field Gregory was dealing with anxiety, depression, and mental health problems. Yet, through all that adversity, Gregory was a stat padder in the small sample size of games he played in.
The Denver Broncos signed Gregory for his potential and because of the fact he has yet to play a full season, he quite possibly still has plenty of tread on his tires to have a lengthy NFL career. When Gregory played with the Cowboys he proved to be a balanced edge rusher in nearly every category. In some ways, despite the lack of game action, Gregory might be more of a complete edge rusher than people realize. Once he gets up to speed soon, there’s no telling how far Gregory will rise both locally and nationally with fans/media.
Baron Browning’s comparison of Gregory as a spider monkey is the perfect analogy for a player like Gregory. From afar, Gregory appears less imposing, but up close he is a freak of nature. He looks seven feet tall, with long arms and he’s strong as an ox. His long arms and quickness were already on display in this early season.
Versus the Houston Texans, Gregory had two blockers on him somehow shed both and nearly sacked Davis Mills on the play. Against the Seattle Seahawks he made a jaw-dropping play forcing a fumble of DK Metcalf on Monday Night Football. Gregory was engaged with the right tackle, but after short pass was delivered to DK by Geno Smith, Gregory disengaged ran like The Flash to force the fumble on Metcalf. That play alone is why Gregory can be a game wrecker for the Denver Broncos and this unknown pass rush.
Gregory already is 2/3 of the way from tying the forced fumbles he had with Dallas in 2021. The NFL season just wrapped up Week 2 people. Let’s phrase it this way. He is on track for 17 forced fumbles this year. Will that happen? Of course not, but Gregory already is showing to be a key player in this young season willing to make the big play to change the outcome in favor of the good guys. That’s what we call a game wrecker.
Fans may have been down on Gregory all offseason, but he is showing early this year to be a player you can rely on. His speed, size, quickness, length, and awareness make Gregory such an appealing player to watch every single game. If this trend continues he will reach double-digit sacks, potential Pro Bowl recognition, and maybe more.
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I don’t know about all of you guys, but Gregory is a joy to watch on Sundays in orange and blue. Not only that, but he’s also worth the price of admission this young season.