Cowboys Defensive End Randy Gregory missed last week’s game after landing on the COVID list with a positive test. He has now made it through the protocol and rejoined the team in Dallas today, and looks good to go for Monday night’s meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Dallas was without both starting DEs against the Chargers after DeMarcus Lawrence broke his foot in practice and will be out for several weeks. But thanks to solid defensive play overall and some nice pass-rushing work by rookie LB Micah Parsons, the Cowboys overcame their personnel problems and got their first win of 2021.
Getting Gregory back for Week 3 is big with QB Jalen Hurts coming to town. We saw last Sunday how San Francisco’s defense, and particularly Nick Bosa, was able to keep Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game from ever finding rhythm.
Though Philadelphia did rush for over 150 yards, and with 82 of those coming from Hurts, they only scored 11 points on the day. The 49ers were able to control the game and didn’t allow the Eagles to make the critical plays when needed.
Disrupting Jalen Hurts will indeed be critical for the Cowboys to have success in their first division game this year. He has big play potential and will likely have to air it out to keep up with Dallas’ own potent offense.
While Parsons’ role last week as a pass rusher had encouraging results, asking him to do it alone every week isn’t sustainable. And as we saw, the Cowboys barely got out of L.A. with that win.
Adding Gregory back into the mix could be huge. Presenting Philly with a Sophie’s Choice of who to focus on in pass protection could lead to big things for the entire Cowboys defense, which is currently (and shockingly) leading the league in turnovers.
Monday night’s game will be decided by a variety of factors but getting Randy Gregory could have a major impact. Whether it’s he or Parsons who has the best night, both should benefit from the other’s presence and make Dallas’ defense more dangerous.
