ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As Randy Gregory attempted to put into context how much the pain in his shoulder hampered him the past two or three seasons, he explained it in terms he believed the audience in front of him would understand.
“Pre-surgery, there were a lot of things I couldn’t do that, normally, even you guys should be able to do,” Gregory said to members of the media who gathered to talk to Denver’s marquee free-agent signing Monday as he came off the physically unable to perform list.
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Clearly, Gregory has not seen how many plates some of us on the beat are capable of lifting as we navigate the media dining room before games. But his point was still notable, giving insight into why the Broncos are confident Gregory still has his best football ahead of him.
Shortly after signing a five-year, $70 million deal in March to become the Broncos’ de facto Von Miller replacement opposite Bradley Chubb, Gregory and his new team collectively decided the 29-year-old outside linebacker should have surgery to repair a problem in his shoulder that didn’t seem to be relenting.
“It was difficult,” Gregory said of electing to undergo the surgery he knew would keep him out of OTAs and most or all of his first training camp with the Broncos. “As far as the shoulder goes, it was something I had been dealing with for two, maybe three years now. It got to the point where it was kind of hindering my play, so it was definitely something that was important to do long-term for the team. So we got that taken care of. I’m glad it’s in the past. We’re still working some kinks, but I should be good to go.”
Good to go for Week 1 in Seattle? Gregory said that was the hope as he took the field in his No. 5 jersey for the first time Monday. As he entered the stretch line before the workout, he was wrapped up by Nathaniel Hackett in one of the coach’s trademark bear hugs. Then he shared an embrace with Chubb, the fifth-year linebacker who has been in Gregory’s position often the past few seasons. Gregory then went through individual drills, exploding out of his stance to push sleds and bend around tackling dummies.
Looking good, @RandyGregory_4 😤 pic.twitter.com/3hziA27U4F
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 15, 2022
Gregory did not participate in team drills — Hackett said he’ll be worked into that portion of practices slowly — but he was asked to break the team down in the huddle at the 90-minute session.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been on the field in that kind of environment,” Gregory said before practice. “I’ve been trying to be invested as much as I can without playing, whether that be the joint practice on Thursday (against the Cowboys, his former team) or the game on Saturday. I had to get a lot of mental reps. But it was great to see guys out there making plays and then visualize myself out there also.”
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The silver lining of Gregory’s absence to this point is that the coaching staff has had plenty of time to evaluate young players at the position, such as rookie Nik Bonitto and second-year player Baron Browning, who was the defensive star of Saturday’s exhibition win against Dallas. Still, Gregory, who had six sacks and three forced fumbles in 12 games last season, brings a different element — something Hackett was reminded of as he began watching Dallas film last week in preparation for the preseason opener.
“We put a (2021) game on, just because we wanted to watch and to know what they might be presenting us, and the whole time we’re watching (Gregory) and looking at each other like, ‘Oh, I’m sure glad that guy is on our team,'” Hackett said of the 6-foot-5, 255-pound Gregory. “He’s a dynamic guy. He’s got an unbelievable motor. He’s nonstop, all throughout the play. He’s physical, fast, a smart player. All of those things he brings are so great for our football team. Watching him rush the edge is something I’m excited to see.”
It’s unlikely Gregory will see action when the Broncos continue their preseason schedule Saturday in Buffalo. As indicated by the sprints he ran on a side field Monday while team drills took place, Gregory is still working his way back into top shape at the end of an offseason that also included a minor knee procedure back in January.
“With any injury, you want to handle it the right way,” he said. “I’ve been playing with it for so long that I kind of wanted to fight through it. Dealing with the knee scope made it hard, initially, getting started (with rehab), but my body tends to repair pretty well. I have tried to stay invested the best I can so that I’ll be able to come out here and be ready to go.”
Gregory was just one of three new participants in practice for the Broncos on Monday. Offensive lineman Billy Turner, who has been rehabbing a knee injury during training camp, was also activated off the PUP list after passing his physical. In the wake of Jonas Griffith’s elbow injury, which Hackett confirmed will keep the inside linebacker out four to six weeks, Denver signed veteran Joe Schobert to a one-year deal. He immediately took Griffith’s place in team work next to Josey Jewell.
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Schobert, drafted in the fourth round by Cleveland in 2016, has registered at least 103 tackles in each of the last five seasons, beginning with 144 during a Pro Bowl season with the Browns in 2017. He spent last season with the Steelers, were he finished with 112 tackles, one interception and six passes defensed.
Schobert said “it was a little hard” not to be signed by a team during the free-agency period, but he remained confident he’d get a chance at some point before the season started. The opportunity comes with the Broncos, whose facility sits 20 minutes from where Schobert and his wife live in Castle Rock. The couple first made their offseason home in the area five years ago.
“When I was meeting people here, they’d say, ‘Where’d you come in from?’ I’d say, ‘Twenty-five minutes down the road,'” Schobert said. “It’s convenient, very nice for me to be able to stay home. … This is my seventh defensive scheme in seven years, so I’ve been on every defensive scheme you can have in the NFL. I’ve played with a lot of good guys on a lot of good defenses. I just want to bring experience and help the room grow.”
While Schobert will be plugged in right away, it’s unclear when Turner will be ready to step into team action. His work Monday, like Gregory’s, was limited to individual drills.
“Am I mentally ready and prepared?” Turner said when asked if he was ready to play Week 1 in Seattle. “That’s what these next four weeks are going to be about for me. Getting to a point where I feel I’m ready to go out on the field and play a football game for 60 minutes.”
Welcome back, @Big_Mountain77! pic.twitter.com/o5wLEWlcLa
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 15, 2022
Turner is expected to compete for the starting right tackle job with Calvin Anderson, but the veteran lineman, who played for Hackett the past three seasons in Green Bay, noted that “every time I think I’m playing one position, I end up at another.”
Before he landed in Green Bay, where he found stability blocking for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Turner spent parts of three seasons as a reserve lineman for the Broncos (he did start 11 games in 2018). That experience has given him some familiarity with the facility and some of the faces inside the building. So much else, though, is different.
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“It’s a different energy, a different vibe, here with coach Hackett in the building and some of these guys and some of these players,” said Turner, whose three Denver teams all missed the playoffs. “It’s definitely not like it was last time. … The young energy that exists on this team is like nothing I’ve been around in the NFL yet.”
Extra points
• To make room on the 90-man roster for Schobert, the Broncos waived injured offensive lineman Ben Braden (back).
• Melvin Gordon (foot) and cornerback K’Waun Williams (knee) returned to practice Monday. Cornerback Ronald Darby (chest) and wide receiver KJ Hamler (knee/hip) did not practice. Tight end Greg Dulcich worked on a side field during team drills.
• Offensive guard Netane Muti recently underwent minor knee surgery, Hackett said, and will be out at least a couple of more weeks.
(Photo of Randy Gregory: Ron Chenoy / USA Today)
