After reported getting released earlier this week, a veteran pass rusher has been traded.
Randy Gregory has been traded from the Denver Broncos to the San Francisco 49ers for a swap of a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick.
Gregory is a former second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. He’s missed a lot of time in the NFL due to multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy tied to marijuana. He missed 14 games in 2016 and all of 2017 and 2019 due to suspensions. He also missed time due to injury in the years he played, but posted six sacks in 2018 and 2021.
Following the ’21 season, he signed a five-year, $70 contract with Denver. He was limited to six games in 2022 due to a knee injury. He entered 2023 as a starter, but was outplayed by Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, which led to his reported surprise release. Baron Browning is also expected to be activated off the PUP list soon.
A common tactic to get some form of compensation, the Broncos found a trade partner in San Francisco, and was about to move up in the back end of the 2024 draft.
For the 49ers, they add a great depth piece to an elite edge rush behind Nick Bosa, Drake Jackson, Clelin Ferrell, and Kerry Hyder, not to mention Arik Armstead, Javon Hargraves, Javon Kinlaw, and Kevin Givens in the interior. Gave up little for high potential.
It appears that there’s only $840k guaranteed left for Gregory on his contract, so Denver has little to no dead money, and 49ers don’t owe him anything. Low risk, high reward.
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