The Dallas Cowboys pass rush game was handed a tough blow on Wednesday. Defensive end Randy Gregory, who leads the team in sacks in 2021, injured his calf during practice and is set to miss “multiple weeks.”
Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed the news during a press conference on Thursday while adding that Gregory could land on the Injured Reserve list. In this case, the 28-year-old would have to miss at least three weeks before being eligible to return to the active roster.
Gregory was in the midst of a career year that saw him make 5 sacks, 12 QB hits, and 10 tackles. He also had two forced fumbles and established himself as a disruptive force on the Cowboys’ defense.
“I think he was probably one of our best players. You could make the argument probably one of clearly our best players on defense,” McCarthy said via ESPN.
According to McCarthy, Dallas will embrace the “next man up” approach and will look to make up for Gregory’s absence with the players they have on their roster.
“Right now I’m focused on the players that are here,” he added. “We made some adjustments once learning the news after practice yesterday. So we feel good about our plan and we’ll stay the course.”
Randy Gregory was the Cowboys’ second-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was mostly a backup in his first four years in the league but emerged as a starter in 2021 and was making the most of it before getting hurt. Gregory has 15.5 career sacks to go with 47 QB hits, 76 tackles, and seven forced fumbles.
