DALLAS — If you think it’s hard being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, try being someone who plays for them.
As the second day of legal tampering dawned where free agents can agree to deals before officially signing them, the Cowboys initially had a fresh contract worked out with one of their prized players on the open market.
Defensive end Randy Gregory was set to return to the Cowboys on a five-year deal worth $70, with $28 million guaranteed. The deal seemed all but signed and was shared triumphantly on the team’s official Twitter account.
The Cowboys were getting Gregory back to terrorize quarterbacks with returning DE DeMarcus Lawrence as his bookend partner.
The early stages of free agency had been good for the Cowboys. Then it all came crashing down.
Suddenly reports came flooding in that the Denver Broncos had swooped in and signed Gregory to a deal for the same terms. The Broncos had been one of the strongest suitors for Gregory, so the connection made sense.
It didn’t take long for the confirmation that Gregory had indeed spurned the Cowboys and signed with the Broncos. Now, it was a done deal.
What didn’t make sense was how the Broncos had landed Gregory when the Cowboys had already announced that they had agreed to a deal. Why would there be such a swift and surprising reversal, especially after the Cowboys organization had stood by Gregory since he was selected in the second round of the 2015 draft?
Initial reports suggest the Cowboys tried to slip in some contract language after the terms of the deal had been agreed upon and the new contract had been announced on social media.
Gregory and his representatives, naturally, didn’t approve. If true, that's a shady way for the Cowboys to conduct business and Gregory bolted for a similar offer from the Broncos.
It’s hard to blame Gregory if the Cowboys did indeed try to alter a deal after it had been agreed to.
The former Nebraska standout missed 54 games over his first seven seasons in the league stemming from multiple suspensions after violations of the NFL's substance-abuse policy.
Gregory has been outspoken about his struggles with substance abuse and mental health as he worked his way back to contribute six sacks with three forced fumbles in 11 starts for Dallas in 2021.
Frankly, if the organization wanted to protect itself with Gregory, they should have stated that upfront instead of trying to include it at the last minute. Instead, in the aftermath, we’re left with an awful look by the Cowboys and an embarrassing situation overall.
After being a shoulder to lean on while helping Gregory turn into the person he’s become, the franchise showed an extreme lack of faith in Gregory because of the money being invested. If the Cowboys believed in Gregory, there would have been no last-minute additions.
In the short term, the Cowboys now have an issue at defensive end. Lawrence is one of the best players at the position, but Dallas doesn’t have much help for him on the other side.
The Lawrence and Gregory show was supposed to be in full swing in 2022 and moving forward. They had waited eight years for the tandem to be an elite duo.
With one swift, indefensible move at the last minute, the Cowboys blew what they had waited so long for. Now, there’s a hole where Gregory should have been and it’s back to the drawing board at a premium position for a defense that had turned the corner in 2021.
In the long term, this could prove to be a cautionary tale for other free agents that are approached by the Cowboys and the front office braintrust. It’s a terrible way to do business, and makes the team look bumbling at best and underhanded at worst.
There are still a lot of quality free agents out there, some at defensive end, who will now be wary of what the Cowboys might do in the fine print. That’s a tough position for the organization to be in, especially at this point in the offseason.
Just when you thought the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t get any lower or be any more embarrassing than they’ve been in the last 25 years, along comes a day like today. It doesn’t get any worse than the bait and switch that the Cowboys tried to pull on Randy Gregory, a player they’ve stood by for years.
This was an abject failure by the Cowboys and they deserve every bit of ridicule that comes their way.
Do you think the Cowboys messed up by failing to get Randy Gregory back in the fold? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.