SANTA CLARA — The 49ers gave up very little to acquire pass rusher Randy Gregory.
The risks are minimal. The potential upside is significant.
“He seems fired up,” Shanahan said of Gregory. “Our team is fired up. Even the guys who didn’t know him are aware of him from playing against him.”
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The 49ers acquired Gregory and a 2024 seventh-round pick in a trade with the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Also, the Broncos will pick up approximately $10 million of Gregory’s salary for this season, meaning the 49ers will pay him the veteran minimum.
San Francisco is releasing veteran defensive lineman Kerry Hyder to make room for Gregory on the 53-man roster.
Gregory joined his new teammates on Friday and attended practice before heading back to Denver to gather his belongings, Shanahan said.
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Gregory will not attend the 49ers’ game Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys. He will return to the Bay Area on Monday to begin competing for a share of playing time along the defensive line.
“He was as good of a rusher as we’ve gone up against,” Shanahan said. “And just the fact we had an opportunity and he was available. Being able to add a guy like that we feel will make our team better. And that’s why we didn’t hesitate to do it.”
Gregory, 30, has had an up-and-down NFL career. He has registered 19.5 sacks in seven seasons.
He has served multiple suspensions throughout his NFL career, including 14 games in 2016 for violations of the league's substance abuse policy and the entire 2017 and 2019 seasons for multiple violations.
Shanahan said he got favorable recommendations from people he knows who also know Gregory.
“We love the tape,” Shanahan said. “I know he’s messed up at times in the past, but the type of person I’m told that he is, we’re real excited to have him here.”
Gregory (6-foot-5, 242 pounds) spent the first part of his career with the Cowboys before signing a big-money contract with the Denver Broncos last year. He recently lost his starting job, and the Broncos reportedly were on the verge of releasing him before working out the deal with the 49ers.
Gregory’s skillset is a good fit for the 49ers’ defensive line scheme under position coach Kris Kocurek.
“It’s attacking first and foremost,” Shanahan said. “There are certain skill sets that guys have that always give them the best advantage.
“When you have guys who have good get-off, speed and power, their best advantage is to play in a scheme that allows them to do that every play. Specifically with what we do, you get to do it every play.”