The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gearing up for the 2024 campaign with the start of training camp, a significant juncture of the offseason signaling the fast approach of the regular season. However, this year’s rendition of training camp is off to an odd start, with the continued absence of a significant offseason acquisition.
On Tuesday, reports surfaced that defensive end Randy Gregory was absent from the start of training camp, with the team unaware of his status. Tampa Bay placed Gregory on the reserve/did not report the list in a corresponding move. Head coach Todd Bowles spoke to the media following the team’s training camp activities on Wednesday, offering little answer to the unexcused absence of their newest defensive addition.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles: Dodges Randy Gregory Questions
There is a good chance that Randy Gregory’s tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ends before it even starts. After missing mandatory minicamp and voluntary offseason workouts, Gregory was a no-show at training camp this week. Gregory signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Tampa Bay in April after playing a vital role with the San Francisco 49ers last season. The media had an opportunity to ask Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles about Gregory’s absence on Wednesday, but the frontman did not entertain any discussion surrounding the offseason acquisition.
Randy Gregory absent again today for Bucs' first practice. Todd Bowles is already in the mode of wanting to only talk about the players who are showing up. Asked if they'd need to add a pass-rusher to offset his absence, Bowles points out he's never been here to be missed.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) July 24, 2024
“We’re gonna talk about the players that are here. He’s not here. We’ll deal with that internally. And obviously, he’s on the do not report list, and we’ll go from there,” said Bowles when pressed about the absence of Gregory. Notably, the Bucs have had little to no contact with Gregory since signing his contract in April.
When asked about the depth of the defensive line with Gregory absent, Bowles said, “Well, we never had his to begin with. He hasn’t been here, so we’ve been okay with the depth we have.”
Randy Gregory: Rollercoaster NFL Career
Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports (Bucs news Bucs) (NFL mock draft round building winnow team from active players)
While on the field, Randy Gregory has proven to be a capable NFL pass rusher. However, multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy limited Gregory, especially in the early portion of his professional career. Gregory slipped in the 2015 NFL Draft after testing positive at the scouting combine, eventually landing with the Dallas Cowboys in the second round. Gregory initially earned a four-game suspension in 2016 after violating the league’s substance abuse policy. However, the league pumped it to 14 games after a second failed drug test.
Gregory failed a third drug in 2016, resulting in a year-long suspension for the following season. The Nebraska product missed the entirety of the 2019 season for another violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. Gregory had 227 tackles, 27 TFLs, and 22 sacks in 72 games across seven seasons.
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