Can Will Grier Work His Way to the Backup Role in Dallas?
For some NFL quarterbacks, the road to success branched off to less-traveled paths and former West Virginia University quarterback Will Grier is hopefully in the process of writing his own success story.
The Dallas Cowboys claimed Grier off the waiver wires less than two weeks before the season opener last year and despite not seeing any action, he remained on the 53-man active roster throughout the season but steadily sat third on the depth chart behind starting quarterback Dak Prescott and backup Cooper Rush.
There has not been much optimism surrounding Grier's future entering year four. He was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers by then head coach Ron Rivera while Cam Newton's era was coming to an end.
Grier's only two appearances for his career came during his rookie season for an injured Newton and a struggling Kyle Allen.
Rivera was released from his post following Grier's rookie season and General Manager Marty Hurney brought in Teddy Bridgewater for Matt Rhule's first season at the helm in 2021 along with mobile quarterback PJ Walker.
While Grier is currently in a similar situation in Dallas, the current Cowboys administration reached out and grabbed Grier off the waiver wires, so there is a willingness to give him a chance, and according to Nick Eatman of DallaCowboys.com, Grier has looked "pretty good" in a recent Q&A. However, his competition, Cooper Rush has a win under his belt in Dallas.
Rush started for an injured Dak Prescott in week eight at Minnesota last season, throwing for 325 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and came away with a 20-16 win. In other words, Rush has earned credibility with the staff and it's going to take more than "pretty good" to get behind Prescott.
According to Mike Fisher of Cowboys Country on FanNation/Sports Illustrated, Grier is currently running the third-team offense and he believes there's "likely a large gap between Grier and Rush," citing Rush's performance last season versus the Vikings and his familiarity with the offense as the reasons.
Grier's preseason numbers last year with the Panthers were solid, considering the limited amount of reps. He went 22-31 (71.0%) for 222 yards in three appearances.
Grier may have solidified himself as the third option for the Cowboys heading into the final season of his rookie contract, but a strong preseason could get him ahead of Rush and into a position where an opportunity could arise in the regular season, and a new era begins.
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