McCarthy: Gregory ‘worthy’ of return Sunday as Cowboys fans cling to hope

Remember Titanic? All the opulent pageantry of that magnificent vessel, the sheer size and spare-no-expense grandeur as it sat in dock, all the unimaginable promise and potential of the largest and fastest ship to ever put to sea… and nearly as soon as it shoved off, it started taking on water. It sank with astonishing speed. Its place in history is as a cautionary tale of arrogance and poor preparation and just plain awful luck.

The list of reasons for Cowboys fans to be optimistic about the journey of 2020 has dwindled rapidly with every game. From devastating injuries to crushing losses to now anonymously-sourced infighting in the locker room, it feels like the ship that was once bound for glory is suddenly foundering dangerously. Dallas die-hards have been forced to search for the faintest glimmers of hope to cling to like that giant wooden headboard Leo and Kate found in the flotsam and jetsam.

And that’s why Cowboys Nation is so excited this week about the potential return of a player who’s appeared in all of 28 games over his five-season career.

Defensive end Randy Gregory has been at practice for two weeks after being reinstated by the league, to rave reviews from his teammates and coaches. This week’s game marks the first in which he is eligible to play since the playoff loss the the Rams to close out the 2018 campaign.

Sitting on a 2-4 record, with a historically bad defense, and cruising toward the teeth of the season’s schedule, the team desperately needs a spark. And Gregory is the latest would-be savior waiting in the wings.

As to whether he’ll see the field against Washington, though, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy wouldn’t make any promises.

“We’re all excited about Randy coming back,” McCarthy told reporters on Friday. “We have to look at the whole week’s preparation, obviously. Special teams is always a big part of those types of decisions. He’s definitely had a good week and he’s definitely worthy of being on the 48, I can tell you that.”

Expectations are sky-high for Gregory, the 2015 second-round draft pick from Nebraska who proved himself to be a remarkably disruptive pass rusher in the few games he’s played. After missing most of 2016 and all of 2017 due to suspensions, Gregory returned to action in 2018 and logged six sacks in 14 regular season games, showcasing a freakish physical talent.

Breaking down his play this week for the Dallas Morning News, John Owning writes:

“Listed at 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds (though reports have him a bit heavier than his previous playing weight) with gangly 34-inch arms, Gregory has the type of athleticism that offensive tackles fear. It’s not just that Gregory has an incredibly explosive get-off and upfield burst (plenty of NFL pass rushers do), it’s that he has the lower body pliability, balance and body control to turn corners at acute angles and slip strikes while maintaining speed to the QB (something very few pass rushers have).”

Another suspension cost him the entire 2019 season, but the team extended his contract as the league and players union seemed headed for a relaxing of some of the substance abuse policies that had led to Gregory’s exiles.

The entire Cowboys organization has invested a lot of time, money, and faith in Gregory’s personal development. Aside from any stats he happens to put up on Sunday, the front office knows it’s been anything but smooth sailing for the 27-year-old just to get to this point.

“My eye is on Randy Gregory’s individual accomplishment here,” team owner Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Friday. “It’s been quite a road for him. It’s a long way from over, but it’s been quite a road for him. He’s got this great opportunity in his life to rehab everything about him. But it’s hard. And would be. But he’s an outstanding football player. He’s actually, in terms of his makeup, unbelievably complemented with great intelligence as well as great athletic ability.”

Gregory’s comeback coincides with the resurgence of Cowboys defensive end Aldon Smith, new to the team in 2020 and returning to league play after a long absence and personal trials of his own.

With four sacks through six games after missing four full seasons, Smith has been a bright spot in an otherwise underachieving defense. It’s not realistic to expect lightning to strike twice, but watching Smith reignite his career certainly buoys the hopes of Gregory’s believers.

“You hope Randy, when he gets his chance, has got a little of the same thing in him,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told ESPN recently, per Todd Archer. “Now, the difference in the two is Aldon had, what, one year with 20 sacks in San Francisco? Nineteen? Obviously, Randy has never done that, but Randy has always pressured and played at a high level when he did play.”

And that is why Cowboys fans cling to Randy Gregory and the hope he offers, like an old oak headboard floating amidst the wreckage of a disaster.

We’ll never let go, Randy.

Our hearts will go on.

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