FRISCO, Texas -- Finally, the narrative around Randy Gregory with the Dallas Cowboys is about what he's doing on the field.

For so long, the defensive end’s story was about his inability to avoid violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy that led to suspensions that cost him 52 games (including all of the 2017 and 2019 seasons). Gregory has been through extensive counseling to help deal with anxiety issues. He says he found clarity through treatment and a better understanding of why he reacts the way he does in certain situations.

“I feel like I handle failure decently, but I don’t handle success very well,” Gregory said. “With the success comes a lot of responsibility, things like that. That’s one of the things I always struggled with growing up and still to this day I have my issues with that. We talk about staying neutral. [Special teams coach John Fassel and coach Mike McCarthy] talk about staying neutral and never getting too overly cocky or too negative about yourself and having a neutral mindset. I think that’s what you have to do when you’re experiencing failure and success. I think that’s how you grow.”

Gregory has never seen success like this before.

After missing one game while on the reserve/COVID 19 list, he leads the Cowboys with five sacks, 19 quarterback pressures and two forced fumbles in six games. He has recovered one fumble and the coaches have credited him with five tackles.

With one sack, he would equal his career high for a season. He is nine pressures away from matching his career high (28, 2018).

He is everything the Cowboys hoped he would be when they selected him in the second round of the 2015 draft. He was considered by many to be the top pass-rusher in the 2015 draft, but many teams were scared off because of off-field concerns.

The Cowboys’ patience is being rewarded. For Gregory, the timing could not be better since he is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent when the season ends.

“Randy is just exuding competition. He’s exuding aggressiveness,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “He’s smart as a whip and he does have that, I call it ‘Charles Haley intellect.’ His physical approach to what’s going on, he knows that’s inspiring and that it could be intimidating to the opponent. You got to deliver the goods. You got to be a great player to pull that off. But in Randy’s case, he is.”

According to Next Gen Stats, Gregory is tied for the league lead in turnovers caused by a quarterback pressure (three) with J.J. Watt, Chandler Jones, Markus Golden and Odafe Oweh. He also has the sixth (2.45 seconds) and eighth (2.5 seconds) fastest sacks this season, both against the New England Patriots on Oct. 17.

Since 2020, he has the fourth-highest quarterback pressure rate of those with a minimum of 250 pass rushes. Only Trey Hendrickson (18.1%), T.J. Watt (17%) and Joey Bosa (16.5%) have a better rate.

“I’ve always felt like I could play this way,” Gregory said. “I think I’ve just gotten the opportunity to show it and I’ve capitalized on it. So at this point, I just got to keep doing it throughout the course of the year. I plan on it.”

Gregory chafed at his playing time last season after returning from a six-game suspension. He played 241 snaps but had 3.5 sacks and 16 pressures. He played at least 35 snaps in a game just four times last season.

He has played more than 35 snaps in each of the six games he has played this season, maxing out at 49 in last week’s win against the Minnesota Vikings. In his career, he has played 18 games of 35 snaps or more and recorded 9.5 sacks in those contests.

When he has been given the opportunity, he has delivered more often than not.

“I would classify Randy as a dynamic pass-rusher,” McCarthy said. “He is working on his second and third moves. His ability to move around, look at the attention he has been getting. So I think [it] speaks to what other teams think of him. He may not have the [highest] sack numbers but his pressure and activity is way up. He is so disruptive.”

Gregory said he understands “the why,” of the defense better than at any point of his career. He said defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is getting him more one-on-one pass-rush chances than he has had since college, and he has developed multiple pass rush moves.

“From a physical standpoint, his speed, his explosiveness, his length, his agility, he has the full package,” first-year defensive line coach Aden Durde said. “I think as a person, I think him going through the process every week. To be honest with you, he’s super consistent. I think you’ve seen that in the last block of games that he’s just put down. I think the biggest thing for him is just consistency. And that’s what he has put in, since I’ve known him really, since I’ve got here.”

Gregory is on pace to play a career-high 573 snaps. He has battled through knee soreness and said he took a painkilling injection coming off the bye that helped. However, how he holds up physically over a 17-game season could determine the success of the Cowboys' defense.

He said he would be lying if he acted like he wasn't thinking about his contractual future, but it’s not at the forefront of his mind.

“I do better when I live in the present, and in the past, it’s been hard for me to do that. So it’s really crucial for me to do that right now so I can get the goals that I want, obviously that being a contract,” Gregory said. “That day will come. Right now I’m just focused on trying to win games and improve my play on the field and be the best locker room guy I can be around everyone.”