The Houston Texans have a bevy of needs to address in the 2022 offseason. Whether by free agency or the draft, the Texans are going to have to allocate their resources carefully to assemble the best roster that can win more than four games for the first time since 2020.
If the Texans don’t believe they will have a shot at Aidan Hutchinson or believe Kayvon Thibodeaux can be the impact player for them off the edge, a free agent to consider would be Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gregory is considered the 14th-best free agent in the 2022 wave.
Gregory has finally reached unrestricted free agent status after getting drafted No. 60 overall in 2015 and making an impressive return to full-time football action over the past two seasons. His 84.7 pass-rush grade in the 2021 regular season ranked 11th among edge defenders. The big question may be whether Dallas is able to retain a player who has developed into a premier pass-rusher while also paying edge defender Demarcus Lawrence top-five money at the position. If Gregory does reach free agency, there may be a long line of teams vying for his services.
Gregory has experience in the type of system new coach Lovie Smith deploys. The Cowboys ran the Tampa 2 with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, who was on Smith’s staff with the Chicago Bears from 2009-12, for every year of Gregory’s Dallas tenure, save for 2020-21. Nevertheless Gregory has experience playing as a “rushman” and getting upfield to the quarterback and stopping the run along the way.
Pairing Gregory with third-year defensive end Jonathan Greenard would give the Texans an effective pass-rushing duo that should be able to get after opposing quarterbacks.
PFF forecasts Gregory garnering a two-year, $25 million contract with $12.5 million per year and $15 million guaranteed. If that is what it takes to give the Texans a veteran pass rusher, general manager Nick Caserio will have to weigh whether it is worth the cost.
