Dorance Armstrong Equals Randy Gregory, Cowboys’ Stephen Jones Claims

“He's right there from a production standpoint with Randy,” says Jones of Armstrong.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys almost inarguably deducted from the talent from their roster this off-season when they said goodbye to Amari Cooper, La’el Collins and Randy Gregory.

But it is the stated opinion of Cowboys COO Stephen Jones - a stated opinion that is something shy of inarguable - that Dallas already signed its Gregory “replacement” in Dorance Armstrong.

“With Dorance Armstrong … We hated to lose Randy; We went down to the wire (in contract negotiations before Gregory jumped to the Denver Broncos) with him. But at the same time, you look at production. You look at what Dorance Armstrong has done. 

“He's right there from a production standpoint with Randy.”

Well … kinda.

Jones’ remarks on Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan are largely driven by the fact that in 2021, the heralded defensive end Gregory recorded six sacks, while the lower-profile Armstrong totaled five sacks.

Depending on how one wants to frame the debate, one could bring up QB pressures (big edge to Gregory) and general reliability over the course of a career (Gregory … does not get an edge there).

But there is one fact that renders the Cowboys’ position here to be a hollow one.

The Cowboys’ set price tag to retain Dorance Armstrong, talented, promising and admired as he may be, came in the form of a two-year, $13 million deal.

The Cowboys’ commitment to Gregory was to be more than twice that annually, totaling five years and $70 million.

We can chastise Stephen Jones for his positive-spin remarks if we wish, but the truth is, the Cowboys’ plan was to sign both players - with Dorance Armstrong as the backup to Randy Gregory. And in the aftermath, it doesn’t matter what those involved say.

It only matters what the Joneses, Gregory and Armstrong do.

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