Broncos general manager George Paton was like everybody else Tuesday morning when the Dallas Cowboys announced that free agent Randy Gregory was staying put.
“We felt we lost him,” Paton said.
But after a kerfuffle over voided contract language, Gregory and his Denver-based agent Peter Schaffer turned back to the Broncos and agreed to terms on a five-year, $70 million deal.
“You don’t overreact and you don’t get overly emotional, but it was an emotional (meeting) room when he came back,” Paton said during a video conference Friday introducing Gregory.
The Broncos were fired up because they prioritized Gregory to play opposite Bradley Chubb, opting to pursue him instead of a reunion with Von Miller.
“We really wanted to improve our pass rush and our front seven as a whole,” Paton said. “With the quarterbacks in our division, we really needed to add. I really like our outside linebacker group with (Bradley) Chubb, (Jonathon) Cooper and (unsigned) Malik (Reed) and some of those guys, but we needed to add a difference maker (in Gregory) and I feel we have.”
Gregory, 29, has been limited to 50 regular season games since being drafted by Dallas in 2015. He sat out he sat out 14 games in 2016 and all of the ’17 and ’19 seasons due to violations of the league’s substance abuse program.
“My history is well-documented publicly,” Gregory said. “I have a lot of time for the fan base and the staff here to know me and understand me and that the public perception isn’t always correct. I’ve done a lot of growing up. … I believe (the Broncos) did their due diligence in terms of getting to know me behind the scenes.”
Said Paton: “You hear things, read things, talk to people and I felt good about the people we talked to and then when I talked to Randy, thatap all I needed to do. … Itap a success story.”
Gregory credited a “really, really strong support system,” that includes his parents, who lived in the Dallas area the last three years, and his wife for helping him turn a corner.
“There was a point in time where I didn’t think I would be here or get back in the league and play at the level I’m playing at now,” he said. “That speaks volumes to my efforts to better myself, not only on the field but as a person.”
As the Broncos did their background work and entered into contract negotiations, Paton asked new quarterback Russell Wilson to help out. Gregory estimated he heard from Wilson “like eight times.”
Gregory tied a career-high last year with six sacks and has eight forced fumbles in the last three seasons.
“He stood out in this free agent class, just the way he plays the game,” Paton said. “He puts fear in offensive coordinators because he can impact the game at any time.”
Briefly. The Broncos agreed to terms with quarterback Josh Johnson (Baltimore) and linebacker Alex Singleton (Philadelphia). Johnson turns 36 on May 15 and has nine career starts since entering the league in 2012. Singleton, 28, led the Eagles in tackles in two consecutive years (120 and 137), but was not tendered a contract last week. … Earlier on Friday, the Broncos re-signed defensive lineman DeShawn Williams. … Paton on a potential contract extension for Wilson, who has two years left on his deal: “We’re open (to it). We obviously want him here a long time, but nothing is imminent. I’m sure we’ll talk here soon, but we didn’t make this trade not to have here for a long time.” … Paton said the Broncos are “getting low” on cap space, “but we have enough room to do a few things.” One priority is cornerback. “We need to add a corner or two, obviously,” he said.
