Jones hopeful suspended Cowboys DE Gregory will be reinstated this season

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed that suspended defensive end Randy Gregory is preparing to apply for reinstatement to the NFL.

And Jones said the Cowboys are helping him in the process.

Gregory missed the entire 2017 season after being suspended for one year for repeated violations of the NFL’s Policy for Substances of Abuse.

Gregory became eligible for reinstatement, but has yet to officially apply.

Jones said Gregory has done a good job working through his issues. And it’s his hope that Gregory will be reinstated and play for the Cowboys in 2018. The 2015 second-round selection has played in just two games since his rookie season.

But Jones refused to express confidence in a reinstatement because of everything involved with what he called a circuitous process.

“I am not confident but I do see where his heart is,” Jones said. “He is one the smartest people that have played this game. This is a tremendous step. He has had that same IQ since he has had these issues. That’s an issue. This is definitely a medical issue. There is no doubt in my mind about the medical. That is another campaign.”

“It’s a pretty circuitous route. It has a lot of discretionary things to determine. There is a lot of subjectiveness. But he is doing very well. He ‘s got a lot to play for. He has a new baby. He has a lot going for him. He is very astute about knowing that. He has to do what a lot of us have had to do and that is to do better at 24 and 25 than when you were 20.”

Asked why he still supports Gregory through this process, Jones remained steadfast in his commitment because of the talent and the person

“He is really a good person. That goes a long way,” Jones said. “He is smart. That is redeeming. Is there a chance he could get this figured out and be accountable and responsible? There is. Oh there is one other little thing. He is one helluva football player.”

Gregory, picked 60th overall in the 2015 NFL draft out Nebraska, would have been a first-round pick if not for a failed drug test at the NFL scouting combine. He played in 12 games as a rookie reserve before his first suspension, a four-game ban to start 2016. He was then suspended for an additional 10 games before the current indefinite ban.