Broncos HC Explains Cautious Approach to OLB Randy Gregory's Injury

Having outside linebacker Randy Gregory back on the field would be ideal for Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett. How cautiously Hackett has approached reintroducing some of his long-term injury absentees has generated some mixed results thus far.

Starting linebacker Josey Jewell might be back in the line-up this Sunday after missing the trip to Seattle, but wide receiver KJ Hamler looks to have had a setback in his recovery program and has been ruled out of Week 2's tilt with the Houston Texans.

Gregory is a crucial cog in the Broncos' defensive machine, so Hackett continues to proceed with caution as the explosive edge rusher gets back in the competitive groove.

“We want to try to get as much as we can but being smart at the same time. Again, we’re still early in him coming off that injury,” Hackett explained on Friday. “We want to be sure that we utilize him and can take advantage of every single thing that he can do, but we don’t want to overload him and do anything stupid.”

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The temptation to unleash Gregory fully from the shackles is tempting for Hackett. Against the Seattle Seahawks, the 29-year-old Gregory showed his massive potential to disrupt games, if he’s put in the position to do so.

In particular, Gregory's ability to create turnovers comes in handy, like it did against the Seahawks, which is an especially dynamic weapon Hackett likes having at his disposal.

“I’ll tell you—on that one that he had, he came out of the stack, and they were holding him up. We always want to say the second guy in is going to come and rip it out. He’s just a violent person when he gets out there,” Hackett said of Gregory. “He came in there and got it which was great to see. You saw [CB Ronald] Darby had one. I thought that was a great rip, also. He was definitely conscious of it and was able to get the ball out. We want all the guys to do that. Randy was definitely—that was a beautiful strip.”

Most of what the Broncos are doing in the early part of the season is juggling the injured players that are laying on the treatment tables. It's an awkward balancing act for a first-year head coach like Hackett, and it’s increasing the pressure on him to get all the recovery strategies on-point for 16 more games.

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