Randy Gregory has joined his third team in three years and hopes his time in San Francisco goes better than his short stint in Denver.
In a little over a season with the Broncos, Gregory played 10 games and made three sacks. He had a knee injury last season and a new coaching staff this season.
“I’ve been there for two years,” Gregory said Wednesday, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone. “I’ve had two new staffs, and this staff, at the end of the day, I think there’s a lot of moving parts, a lot of guys getting a lot of confidence on my side of the ball, probably in a stage where they’re looking to rebuild, get some new leadership, things like that.
“And at the end of the day, ultimately, I wasn’t part of that plan. So, I think it’s better that it happened this early in the season, kind of get me in a new place, get me acclimated, and get them going in their own direction.”
Gregory, who was inactive Sunday, joins an edge rusher group that includes Nick Bosa, Drake Jackson and Clelin Ferrell under defensive line coach Kris Kocurek. He went from a 1-4 team to a 5-0 team.
“Being able to step in somewhere where there is a winning culture — they’re winning right now, obviously, — they’ve got a lot on the line, and they’re seeing the big picture for me,” Gregory said. “I just want to slide in where I belong, and playing on a team like this, and the history they have, obviously playing against them, I have a lot of respect for the staff and the offense, and a lot of guys I’ve played against since I was in a Cowboys uniform.”
Gregory totaled nine tackles, two tackles for a loss, two quarterback hits, a sack and a pass defensed in four games with the Broncos this season.