Pick 60, Dallas: Randy Gregory, defensive end/outside linebacker, Nebraska. My first thought after this pick: Rod Marinelli’s going to have Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory in his defensive team meeting room. Hope he’s ready. The Cowboys honestly considered Gregory in the first round, too, before going for another need guy, cornerback Byron Jones of UConn. When it got close to pick 60, I’m told a serious conversation wasn’t needed; Gregory was such a strong candidate as a player that Dallas was willing to work with him on his marijuana history, and his history of depression and anxiety, according to SI.com’s Don Banks. Other reports say Gregory was either bipolar or had some other personality disorder that made it difficult for him to focus on football, or anything, for long periods. Gregory, without question, was a top-10 value on talent alone. But he tumbled down so many draft boards because of his marijuana use and uncertainty over his illnesses. Now the 65-year-old Marinelli will ride herd on Hardy and Gregory, two players most teams in the league wouldn’t let in the front door of their buildings. Now whether the talent can stay on the field, and on the roster, is the big test for Marinelli and coach Jason Garrett.
And for the Jones family. On Sunday night, I spoke with Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, who was on the front line of the Gregory decision over the past month:
The MMQB: When did you first think you might be seriously interested in Gregory?
Jones: Our scouts come in every year and present to our coaches and staff, and that happened three-and-a-half, four weeks ago. Obviously, he tested positive at the combine; that came out. But on football alone, he was our top-rated pass-rusher, so we rolled up our sleeves and got after and tried to figure out what his situation was, exactly. So we asked him to come in, and every team in the NFL figured maybe he would drop in the draft, so every team, it seemed like, wanted him to come in. He was overwhelmed by it. But he did come in to see us. On that visit, I thought the wonderful thing about him was his transparency. He was an open book. He told us everything. He has an illness, and he knows he has to stay on top of it every day. He said, ‘Here is what I’m taking. Here is how I’m handling it.’ There is nothing he wouldn’t share. We realized how good a player he was, but we also realized there is risk here. There is risk for sure.
The MMQB: Did you consider him in the first round? I heard you did.
Jones: I think in this day and time, we want our first-round pick to be clean. That’s how we operated here.
The MMQB: You’re used to this, though. I think a lot of teams look at the Cowboys as the halfway house of the NFL, willing to take chances on guys other teams won’t take risks on.
Jones: A lot of times, we have successes with these players. A lot of times we don’t. Quite honestly, Dez Bryant had some things that scared us even more than Randy. But with the successes we have had—with Charles Haley, with Dez—the common thing is that when the guy gets between the lines, he’s competitive. Real competitive.
The MMQB: Rod Marinelli seems like a my-way-or-the-highway kind of guy. Was he on board with Gregory?
Jones: Absolutely. He is my way or the highway. He has said to us before about certain players, ‘I don’t think I can work with this guy.’ But if they love football, and if they fight their ass off in practice and in games, he can work with them. And he wants them.
The MMQB: Is there a limit, though? A limit to risks that you take with players like Hardy and Gregory?
Jones: Absolutely. You can’t just do it all the time. It’s got to be worth it. A player like Randy Gregory, he doesn’t become available down in the draft to us unless there’s unique circumstances. I think our team, and our coaching staff, and our organization, has grown to be able to accept it. We’ve got a culture with leaders everywhere, leaders who can absorb this and help these guys. But we understand the risk. We think it’s worth it.