No Decision Expected On Aldon Smith & Randy Gregory’s Reinstatement Before Draft

Ed Werder of ESPN reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is not expected to decide whether to reinstate Cowboys pass-rushers Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory in advance of next week’s NFL draft.

The Cowboys have an obvious need at defensive end after losing Robert Quinn in free agency to the Bears. This year’s draft class isn’t great for edge rushers, but one possibility to watch could be LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson.

Smith and Gregory have applied for reinstatement to the NFL this offseason. 

Smith, 30, is a former first-round pick of the 49ers back in 2010. He was cut loose by the 49ers shortly after a DUI incident in 2015, even though San Francisco picked up his fifth-year option.

Smith later signed a one-year deal with the Raiders that was worth up to $8 million, which was largely incentive-based. Oakland elected to re-sign Smith to a two-year, $11.5 million contract in 2016.

However, the Raiders placed Smith on the reserve/suspended list before cutting him loose in 2018. The Cowboys later signed him to a one-year contract worth $2 million and includes another $2 million in incentives.

For his career, Smith recorded 180 tackles, 47.5 sacks, an interception, five forced fumbles, a recovery and eight pass defenses over the course of five seasons and 59 games.

Gregory, 27, is a former second-round pick of the Cowboys back in 2015. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $3.814 million contract that includes $1.404 million guaranteed and stood to make a base salary of $955,217 for the 2019 season when the Cowboys signed him to a one-year extension in April of last year that will run through the 2020 season. 

Gregory was later placed on the suspended list at the start of the 2019 season. 

Gregory has been suspended four times since he was drafted back in 2015. The latest came in February of last year, which resulted in an indefinite ban from the NFL for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement.

For his career, Gregory has appeared in 28 games for the Cowboys and recorded seven sacks, two forced fumbles and a recovery.