49ers Film Room: A quick look at new 49ers defensive end Randy Gregory
The 49ers have added some much needed pass rush depth with the recent trade for former Cowboys and Broncos pass rusher Randy Gregory.
The 49ers made the news again last week ahead of their week five game against Dallas by trading a 6th round pick to the Denver Broncos for defensive end Randy Gregory and a 7th round pick. The move signaled a shift in how they view the edge position opposite of Nick Bosa and the trade was followed by releasing Kerry Hyder.
The 49ers have not been able to generate as much pressure on the opposite side of Bosa where Hyder, Drake Jackson, and Clelin Ferrell have accounted for as many total pressures as Bosa has on his own. Jackson, whose best performance was a five pressure game in week one where he racked up three sacks, has gone quiet since then with just seven total pressures in weeks two through five.
The 49ers are looking to add another spark to their pass rush and Gregory might be able to give it but we should be cautious about this being the outcome. Gregory so far this season has just one sack and seven total pressures. He has 19 career sacks since coming into the league in 2015. But that has a caveat to it.
While he has 19 sacks since 2015, he missed most of 2016 due to violations of the league’s substance abuse policy, and missed all of 2017 and 2019. His most productive seasons have been 2018, 2020, and 2021 where he racked up most of his sacks and pressures. In 2021 he only played in 12 games, and missed most of 2022 with the Broncos due to a knee injury.
Because of this history, this isn’t a franchise-altering move for the 49ers. It’s very low risk with the potential to have moderately high upside if he can replicate the 4-6 sack production seasons he’s had, which would give him an edge already over the current trio opposite of Nick Bosa.
What Randy Gregory does well
It’s easy to see why the 49ers like him. He has the athleticism to be a decent addition. His speed and athleticism are what pop the most on his game tape and he has similar athletic traits to former pass rushers Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu and better numbers than Ferrell.
But probably due mostly to his absence and missing games in the NFL, these traits haven’t been fully realized in his production but if there is anyone who can unlock it, it’s Kris Kocurek. He doesn’t really have any pass rush moves outside of a speed rush and maybe a decent crossover step, but he struggles to generate any meaningful wins. But perhaps the 49ers can find ways to boost his primary rush.
Here versus San Francisco in week three last season, he recorded a sack on Jimmy Garoppolo using his speed crossover move, albeit against Jaylon Moore at left tackle. Gregory rushes half-man at the outside of Moore, engages with his hands, getting Moore to react to him.
As Moore gets hands on Gregory, he’s already initiated a swim move to the inside of Moore and gets quick penetration through the offensive line and drags Garoppolo down with one hand.
He also had a pair of nice reps against right tackle Mike McGlinchey that earned some stats in the pressures column.
In the first clip, Gregory uses straight speed to power against McGlinchey, gets his hands up on McGlinchey’s shoulders and uses his leverage to put him on the turf on the way to the quarterback. In the second clip, he uses his power to long-arm rush and attempts to swim over McGlinchey but can’t get to the quarterback due to McGlinchey doing everything he can to push him past the pocket. The rush by Gregory here forces Garoppolo out of the pocket though.
His best pass rush move is using his speed off the edge either in a 1-on-1 situation as a looper to the inside.
Here in a 3-point stance, Gregory (No. 94) shows quick get-off at the snap and uses his speed and power to swipe away the hands of the Patriots right tackle and then skillfully times his swim move/arm over technique to get in the backfield as quarterback Mac Jones turns to throw. Gregory finishes with the sack.
As the defensive end in a 2-point stance, he uses a speed to power bull rush to knock the left tackle backwards before swimming inside to finish with the sack.
Where Gregory fits in with the defense
One way the 49ers will probably use Gregory is as an interior rusher from the outside defensive end spot in their overload front. The 49ers overload front is a way to isolate offensive linemen and get their best pass rushers a 1-on-1 situation or to disguise a 1-on-1 situation through their alignment.
Here, to get Bosa 1-on-1 or get favorable match-ups for him, they often employ the use of the 3x1 overload front with three defensive linemen lined up to one side of the ball and single pass rusher to the opposite side. They usually mug the single pass rusher side A-gap with linebacker Fred Warner (second play).
The overload side draws the half slide to the left with three blockers in pass protection but Charles Omenihu is the penetrator on the B-gap stunt here and draws the block of the right guard. Bosa, the looper on the stunt, actually gets chipped into his rush, aiding him into the A-gap where he gets a free run at Tua.
In the second clip, Bosa lined up on the overload side of the front on the outside shoulder of the left tackle in the 5-technique defensive line spot. Bosa is the looper here rushing from the 5-technique with Arik Armstead (No. 91) “spiking” the A-gap as the penetrator and Charles Omenihu (No. 94) has the contain rush outside in the B-gap case the quarterback tries to escape the pocket.
Armstead's inside move to the A-gap draws the Dolphins center to him while Bosa loops around the rushers from the outside into the A-gap untouched for the sack. Since Warner and Ebukam draw 1-on-1’s here, Bosa is able to get free up the middle where he runs through uncontested for the sack.
On this sack from Gregory in 2021 on Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold, Gregory is the looper from the right side overload. The only difference here is the Cowboys have a 4x1 overload instead of a 3x1. The Panthers actually do a decent job of passing off the stunts with the center waiting for Gregory as he loops inside. But he’s too fast and the center can’t maintain his leverage.
And he can be very effective as a wide-5 or wide-9 rusher if he can get a 1-on-1 situation.
Where he needs to improve
Gregory’s production comes in periods of highs mixed with lows. He’s an inconsistent pass rusher who does not have a variety of pass rush moves and as a result, he loses a lot of reps if he can’t win with his signature crossover and swipe-and-swim move.
These are just a few clips that show his limitations as a pass rusher. Once his hand move is stalled by a more skilled blocker, he often cannot recover and cannot get around the edge to affect the passer.
Posted to the DLineVids twitter page via David Lombardi of The Athletic, a new video shows Gregory working with defensive line coach Kris Kocurek on some pass rush moves. If there is anyone for him to be learning from, it’s Kocurek and Bosa. Perhaps they can unlock his potential for 5 to 6 sacks the rest of the season by refining his technique.
Outlook
This a low risk, high reward move for the 49ers. They are only paying $840,000 of his contract for the remainder of the season, the veteran minimum. If he produces 4 to 6 sacks this season, it’s possible he gets a smaller deal to stay around for 2 to 3 years after this. If not, and they don’t feel he can be a critical piece to the pass rush, then they can move on. Either way, if it works out, the 49ers will have added just one more piece to help put them over the top.