Report: New Broncos OLB Randy Gregory to Miss Offseason Program After Shoulder Surgery
Newly-minted Denver Broncos outside linebacker Randy Gregory will sit out the entirety of the team's offseason program following arthroscopic surgery on his rotator cuff, 9News' Mike Klis reported Tuesday.
Gregory experienced shoulder discomfort while playing for Dallas last season. The Broncos decided upon handing him a five-year, $70 million free-agent contract — including $28 million guaranteed — that Gregory should bypass more "conservative treatment options" and undergo a "scope procedure" to "fix the shoulder once-and-for-all."
The "expectation," per Klis, is that Gregory, upon extensive rehab, will be fully healthy in time for the 2022 campaign.
Gregory has appeared in 50 of a possible 113 games across seven NFL seasons, the result of various injuries and repeat suspensions for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. He missed five games in 2021 due to a calf ailment as well as a stint on the COVID-19 list.
Nevertheless, with 16.5 career sacks and eight forced fumbles, Gregory became the "priority" of Broncos general manager George Paton, who made no mention of the 29-year-old's injury jacket during his March 18 introductory press conference.
"We feel really good about him," Paton said.
The Broncos are scheduled to begin their offseason training program on April 11 preceding Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and minicamp practices that will run infrequently throughout May and June. The club will report to training camp in late July and kick off the season on Thursday, Sept. 8 or Sunday, Sept. 11.
Gregory is cemented as a starting OLB opposite Bradley Chubb. With the former sidelined, the likes of Malik Reed and Jonathon Cooper should see first-string reps in rookie coordinator Ejiro Evero's base 3-4 defense. This also should expedite the conversion of sophomore off-ball linebacker Baron Browning, who's being moved (albeit on an experimental basis) to edge rusher, head coach Nathaniel Hackett confirmed Sunday.
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