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Randy Gregory Suspended First 4 Games Of NFL Season

February 19, 2016 / 3:17 PM CST / CBS Texas

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DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Cowboys just received a huge blow to their defensive pass rush for the 2016 season.

Because Randy Gregory tested positive for marijuana at last year's Scouting Combine, the Cowboys were able to draft a first-round talent in the second round, on the cheap.

Now the second-year pass-rusher has been suspended four games for violating the NFL's policy on substance abuse -- meaning the "got-by-cheap'' Cowboys now will pay the price.

Gregory can still participate in offseason programs and the preseason, but won't play in the first four regular-season games for a Cowboys team that now must re-evaluate previous plans and evaluations, certainly in free agency and maybe in this year's Draft.

The Cowboys insisted they had in place a program for the talented Nebraska pass-rusher, and Gregory swore he'd do everything to avoid letting down the employers who took a chance on him. In that sense, this isn't a story about how pot should be legal in the NFL; it's a story of betrayal, about a failed drug test that is in a sense a "failed IQ test.''

According to the NFL's drug policy, Gregory failed four drug tests. The first offense took place at the NFL Combine, forcing him into the drug program, a second positive test resulted in a two game fine, a third was a four game fine. The latest offense results in a four game suspension.

Gregory didn't have a sack last year, derailed in part by an early ankle injury. But now, there's another obstacle in the way of his comeback.

Josh Clark contributed to this report