The San Francisco 49ers made a splash move on Saturday, trading for Denver Broncos edge rusher Randy Gregory and a 2024 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2024 sixth-rounder.
Gregory, 30, will be owed just the prorated veteran’s minimum from the 49ers, which is just $840,000, for the remainder of the season, as the Broncos are covering his entire $14 million salary in the move.
Yesterday, I wrote about how Gregory would fit in well with the 49ers, pointing to the upgrade on the edge that the former Bronco provides.
It seems like his teammates agree, as left tackle Trent Williams and defensive lineman Arik Armstead both were nothing but complimentary about their new teammate, deeming Gregory “a perfect fit”.
“He has everything that we’re about,” Williams said after practice, via The Athletic’s David Lombardi. “A guy who plays like his hair is on fire, guy who will give you 100 percent to the whistle, obviously a great pass rusher, will get after the quarterback, sets the edge in the run game. So I man everything we’re about, he’s about. It’s a perfect fit.”
While Gregory stands at around 240 pounds, Williams doesn't believe that'll be an issue, given his skillset.
“He’s a bigger dude, longer guy, and the explosion off the ball,” Williams said. It can make up for any weight depth that you would think, but super explosive, super twitchy guy really long going really good, really hard to keep block. So I think he’s going to fit right in.”
Armstead reiterated Williams’s statement, pointing out Gregory’s speed as a primary factor of the defensive end’s skillset.
“He fits in perfect,” Armstead said, via Lombardi. “His speed, he’s able to be effective in the pass and run game, and he’s going to help us tremendously. Adding in another guy to what we’re already doing is going to be amazing. He’s a really talented player. He’s shown that for a number of years in the NFL. We’re both in year nine, so, yeah, he’s going to bring a lot to our team.”
“He’s an amazing player. It’s a weird situation that he’s coming from. We got an opportunity to get him, so it’s amazing and everyone’s really excited.”
With Gregory, the 49ers have the speed threat on the outside that they've looked for since Dee Ford, who struggled with injuries during his tenure in San Francisco.
The best part? He’ll cost just $840,000 against the 49ers in 2023, as the Broncos are covering the entirety of Gregory’s $14 million salary this season, while San Francisco is just paying the prorated veteran’s minimum for the defensive end’s services.
49ers fans will have to wait to see Gregory, however, as the defensive end has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game, with head coach Kyle Shanahan sharing that the new 49er will join the team on Monday.
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