The San Francisco 49ers made a splash Friday with the addition of Randy Gregory. The Denver Broncos were reportedly ready to release Gregory, but decided to test the waters in the trade market. John Lynch swooped in, picking up the veteran pass rusher basically for free. Kyle Shanahan is excited about the trade and hasn't ruled out the possibility of Gregory playing Sunday against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys.
“Just playing against him over our career, two years ago when we played him up there in Dallas, he was as good of a rusher as we’d gone against,” Shanahan said. “And just the fact that we had an opportunity that he was available, being able to add a guy like that, we feel he’ll make our team better and so we didn’t hesitate to do it.”
Gregory joins a loaded defensive line of Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave, Clelin Ferrell and Drake Jackson. The 49ers' depth of talent at this position group is unrivaled. Gregory didn't play well once he moved to Denver. In 2021, his last year on the Cowboys, he recorded six sacks and forced three fumbles. Then in the playoff game against the 49ers, which Shanahan referred to, Gregory made four tackles and two QB hits.
San Francisco swapped sixth and seventh round picks with the Broncos, and Denver is still paying the majority of Gregory's contract. There's no risk to this move for the 49ers, and the potential return is enticing.
“That’s why we felt extremely good about it, especially making the trade for it, just having to flip the sixth and seventh and not hurting anything money-wise,” Shanahan said. “So we felt fortunate to add on our team.”
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