Broncos GM Has More Egg on His Face After Randy Gregory's Niners Debut
Denver Broncos GM George Paton has a little bit more egg on his face when it comes to the Randy Gregory situation. After signing the veteran pass rusher to a five-year, $70 million deal in the spring of 2022, the Broncos were going to release Gregory before the San Francisco 49ers swooped in and basically offered a draft pick swap in trade for him.
The Broncos still have to pay most of Gregory's remaining 2023 salary, but it's the Niners who stand to benefit. And the early returns hint that San Francisco is going to be very happy with Gregory in the fold.
In his first game as a Niner, Gregory was very productive with his 26 snaps on defense. He finished with three solo tackles, two of which for a loss, one sack, and a quarterback hit. Paton must have been eating his heart out, considering Gregory totaled nine tackles two tackles for a loss, one sack, and two QB hurries in four games with the Broncos this season before being traded.
The Niners lost to the Cleveland Browns, 19-17, but head coach Kyle Shanahan was pleased with Gregory's debut.
"I definitely saw him make some plays," Shanahan said post-game via All Niners. "I think he got a sack in there, got a TFL. It was nice to see him in some action."
Time will tell how Gregory's tenure in the Bay pans out, but his immediate success reveals the spiritual chasm that separates a 5-1 team like the Niners and the Broncos. Despite quarterback injuries and turnover, Shanahan has maintained a winning product in San Francisco.
And the worst part is the Broncos could have hired him in 2017 to succeed his former boss, Gary Kubiak. Instead, Denver went with Vance Joseph. Shanahan was subsequently hired by San Fran, and the rest is history.
Bringing it back to the present, Paton is viewed by many pundits as a dead man walking in Denver. Sean Payton, who has final say on all roster decisions, didn't hire Paton, and outside of a few draft picks that have panned out, almost all of the Broncos GM's personnel decisions have blown up in his face.
Gregory is one huge example, but so is the Russell Wilson situation, among many others. The king's ransom Denver relinquished for Wilson was commensurate with a true franchise quarterback — the type of leader who is the tide that raises all ships.
A true franchise QB elevates those around him to levels beyond their natural ability (see: Manning, Peyton) and covers less-than-ideal roster deficiencies. Wilson hasn't been able to do that because, frankly, he hasn't even been able to keep himself on the horse.
It's hard to lead and preach when your side of the street is in a shambles. It all reflects horribly on Paton, who could be jettisoned after this season, and replaced with one of Payton's hand-picked guys. The buzz points to Jeff Ireland, with whom Payton has a long-standing relationship.
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