Randy Gregory Who? Cowboys Dorance Armstrong Making 'Toxic Fans' Forget

The Cowboys former fourth-round draft pick is picking up the slack that Randy Gregory left behind.

FRISCO - When it became clear last March that the Dallas Cowboys defense was going to lose defensive end Randy Gregory to the Denver Broncos, the team went with Plan B.

On March 18, Dallas signed defensive end Dorance Armstrong to a new contract after he entered free agency in the offseason. The very next day, Gregory signed with Denver.

Cowboys fans were panicking at the time, wondering how the defense could survive without their home-grown, seemingly former problem child, who was now possibly an up-and-comer in the league.

Of course, Micah Parsons is this team's leader on defense, but he can't play both defensive end and linebacker on every down.

Fast-forward to last Sunday, and the Cowboys' big win over the reigning AFC Champion Bengals. The defense shined without Gregory, but more importantly, with Armstrong.

Of the six sacks Dallas registered against Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow on Sunday, Armstrong was responsible for two. Tack on two more quarterback hits and a pair of solo tackles, and Armstrong had an outstanding game.

It's the first multi-sack game of his career. 

Armstrong signed a two-year, $13 million contract back in March, significantly less than the five-year, $70 million contract offered to Gregory, which was nearly identical to the one he signed in Denver.

By comparison this season in two games, Gregory has one sack, three combined tackles, and three quarterback hits.

Last season, Armstrong appeared in 13 games, starting five, and registered career highs with 37 tackles, five sacks, and 12 quarterback hits. He had one less sack than Gregory did and started six fewer games.

As Dallas prepares for a Monday night visit to the 2-0 Giants, "D.A.''s two-game total makes it appear he will shatter those career highs in 2022.

The Cowboys defense is the strength of the team while some offensive players are healing from injury, and Armstrong appears to be a strong link in that defensive chain.

If the trend continues til the end of the season, it might just leave Cowboys fans wondering, "Randy who?"

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