4 players 49ers were wise to pass on in 2022 NFL free agency

No. 3 free agent 49ers are happy they didn’t sign: EDGE Randy Gregory

Chandler Jones is certainly deserving of the money he received.

Former Dallas Cowboys EDGE Randy Gregory, however, is a bit of a different story.

The Cowboys apparently had Gregory locked up on a re-sign contract, only reportedly changing the language in the contract at the 11th hour, which convinced Gregory to look elsewhere, ultimately joining the Denver Broncos on a five-year, $70 million contract.

Apparently, Dallas was offering the same amount.

Gregory’s off-field issues aside, there’s no other way to put this: Denver overspent in a massive way.

Granted, the AFC West is turning into the NFL’s gauntlet of a division. But Gregory, who has only 16.5 career sacks over his five-year career, still isn’t that impact-kind of player Jones is. And to put things into perspective a little bit, Nick Bosa recorded 15.5 sacks in 2021 alone.

Gregory has established himself as a good rotational pass-rusher over his career, but he’s not a game-changer. And if one wants to bring in the risk of his off-field challenges, it’s an even bigger risk from the Broncos’ perspective.

Good for Gregory, though, and good for the 49ers to not even explore that option.