SANTA CLARA — The 49ers’ relentless pursuit of a premier defensive front prompted them Friday to trade for pass rusher Randy Gregory, a league source confirmed.
Gregory fell out of favor with the Denver Broncos, who were on the verge of releasing him earlier this week. Instead, the 49ers swooped in to acquire him and a 2024 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick, ESPN reported.
The deal comes just two days before the 49ers (4-0) host the Dallas Cowboys, who were Gregory’s initial team from 2015-21 before he left in free agency last year for the Broncos’ higher bid.
As part of the five-year, $69.5 million contract he signed with the Broncos, he’s owed a $14 million base salary this season, and the Broncos will pay that except for a $1 million portion the 49ers must cover, ProFootballTalk.com reported. Gregory’s 2024-26 salaries, of roughly $13 million annually, are not guaranteed.
The 49ers entered Friday with $40 million in salary cap space, having recently restructured the contracts of Trent Williams, George Kittle and Arik Armstead.
Gregory, 30, played in just 10 of 21 games with the Broncos, starting just six and totaling only three sacks. His Cowboys’ tenure was impacted by multiple suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy — he did not play in 2019. He totaled 16 1/2 sacks in 50 games for Dallas.
Gregory missed 54 games due to drug-related suspensions, from 2016-2020. He becomes arguably the 49ers’ greatest character risk since linebacker Reuben Foster was released in 2018 following an arrest for suspicion of domestic violence, after already having served a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Gregory’s Cowboys finale was their January 2022 wild-card loss to the 49ers, in which he caused a shoulder injury to Jimmy Garoppolo and got called for two neutral zone infractions while lining up against left tackle Trent Williams.
The 49ers began this season by signing Nick Bosa to the richest contract in NFL history for a non-quarterback (five years, $170 million), and that came after they spent big in free agency to sign defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (four years, $84 million).
Hargrave’s three sacks share the team lead with Drake Jackson, who got all three of his in a season-opening rout at Pittsburgh. The 49ers overall had five sacks in Week 1, but just four combined in their three ensuing victories.
Bosa has just one sack, along with Fred Warner and Kerry Hyder Jr.
“We are hitting the quarterback quite a bit. We just have find a way to translate those into sacks,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said Thursday. “I like where those guys are. One of the things that I emphasize and talk about as well, I think they’re solid in the run game, and that’s what I look for, that’s what we look for in the complete player, particularly at the defensive end.
“Yes, we want them to be able to put pressure and get to the quarterback, and I think they’re doing that at a high level,” Wilks added, “but I love right now how stout they are in the run game as well.”
Bosa expressed similar confidence Wednesday in the 49ers’ pass rush and his potential to get more sacks, having set a career high last year with 18 1/2 sacks in route to NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
“We’ve had some games we’ve had some really good defensive line performances the past three games,” Bosa said Wednesday. “If we keep building off of that, they’re going to come.”
Now Gregory is coming, too.
PRACTICE NOTES
Running back Elijah Mitchell (knee) remained out of practice, but the 49ers did have wide receivers Deebo Samuel (ribs, knee) and Jauan Jennings (shin) participating, along with reserve lineman Jon Feliciano (concussion protocol).
PURDY’S POTENTIAL RECORDS
Brock Purdy’s 117.1 passer rating through nine games has him poised to post the highest-ever by a NFL quarterback through 10 starts, marks led by Rob Johnson (113.8; Jacksonville, Buffalo) and Patrick Mahomes (112.7; Kansas City).
After completing a franchise-record 95.2 percent of his passes last Sunday (20-of-21), Purdy’s regular-season completion percentage in 70.3 through nine starts. Chad Pennigton (New York Jets) holds the NFL record through 10 starts with a 70.8 completion percentage.
ARMSTEAD HONORED
Defensive tackle Arik Armstead is this week’s NFL Players Association Community MVP, to which he called “a humbling honor and a testament to the impact we can make when we come together to help others off the field.”
Through his Armstead Academic Project, he recently donated books to the Sacramento Literacy Foundation’s Literacy Festival., donated 34 bikes at his Stay Hungry summer camp, and he announced he’ll donate $50,000 each to Teach For America California Capital Valley and Square Root Academy for Project Halo. Tuesday, Armstead read to students at East Palo Alto’s Castano Elementary School and Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School.
“My motivation behind my charitable work is to use my platform to make a positive difference dedicated to ensuring that every student, no matter their socioeconomic status, has direct access to the resources they need to thrive to unlock their potential and achieve their goals,” Armstead said in a statement through the NFLPA.
COWBOYS FULL STRENGTH
The Cowboys are poised to welcome back left tackle Tyron Smith (knee) from a two-game absence and collectively start their five best offensive linemen for the first time since January 2021, according to the team’s website. That includes second-year left guard Tyler Smith.
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