The Cowboys won’t have defensive end Randy Gregory in the lineup when they return to the field in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The league announced on Thursday that Gregory has been suspended for at least one year by the NFL after a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy. Gregory served two other suspensions totaling 14 games this season and had an appeal of the latest suspension heard earlier this week.
Gregory will need to apply for reinstatement to the league before he’ll be eligible to resume his playing career. As Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith learned this year, that process can stretch well beyond a year before reaching any resolution.
Gregory will miss the entire 2017 season at the very least, however, and his brief return to action for the Cowboys has come to an end after seeing action in the final two games of the regular season.