Cowboys defense takes major blow with Randy Gregory injury

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Defensive end Randy Gregory has gotten off to an excellent start in 2021. Despite missing one game due to being placed on the Reserve/COVID list, he’s tied with rookie linebacker Micah Parsons for the team lead with five sacks. His 29 pressures and 12 quarterback hits are tops on the Dallas Cowboys defense as well.

Gregory picked the perfect time to have his best season in the NFL as he is currently in a contract year. After getting all of his off-the-field issues under control, he’s established himself as the primary pass rusher on the Cowboys with fellow defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence out with a broken foot. Unfortunately, Gregory suffered a calf injury in one-on-one drills on Wednesday and was placed on injured reserve on Thursday, causing a major blow to the Cowboys’ defense.

Cowboys are placing DE Randy Gregory (calf strain) on injured reserve, they announced. He’ll miss at least the next three games (vs. Falcons, at Chiefs, vs. Raiders on Thanksgiving). Earliest Dallas will have Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence on same line is in December.

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) November 11, 2021

Gregory joins quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Michael Gallup as top stars on the Cowboys that have had to hit the shelf due to a calf injury. Prescott only missed one game while Gallup hasn’t played since Week 1, but will return this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

The earliest Gregory could be back playing will be in the Cowboys Week 13 matchup against the New Orleans Saints on December 2, but the Week 14 game against Washington may be a more realistic option which will give him more time to practice before returning.

On Thursday, head coach Mike McCarthy talked about feeling bad for Gregory but stated that the Cowboys have to move forward until he comes back.

“You always feel terrible for the individual,” McCarthy said. “He was one of our best players on defense. Our defensive players feed off of his activity.

“You go through all the options. We feel good about our plan. We’ll just stay the course.”

That plan will begin with Parsons putting his hand in the dirt more and rushing the passer which he did plenty of once Lawrence went down. Fellow rookie and third-round pick defensive end Chauncey Golston gets his shot to make a name for himself with Gregory out. After flashing signs during OTAs and minicamp, Golston missed all of training camp with a hamstring injury. Fortunately, he’s gotten six games under his belt and has performed pretty well, and now he’ll see a huge increase in snaps.

The Cowboys will rely on veteran defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Tarell Basham to assist Golston in Gregory’s absence as well. The former is playing for a new contract like Gregory, while the latter gets his opportunity to validate the two-year deal he received in the offseason from the Cowboys as a solid depth piece to rush the passer.

It will be a group effort while Gregory is out. Luckily, unlike years past, the Cowboys have pretty good depth to rush the passer and fill the void of not having Gregory for the next month.