Could Will Grier win Cowboys' backup QB job? How his 'swagger,' command have impressed
FRISCO, Texas — When the Cowboys suit up for their final preseason game Friday night, fans can expect two things.
The first: a lot of snaps for fourth-year quarterback Will Grier.
“I would like to see Will play as much as he possibly can,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I would like to see him a big chunk Friday night if possible.”
And the second?
“Swagger,” rookie tight end Jake Ferguson described Grier. “He’s definitely got it.”
Grier’s pursuit of a spot on the Cowboys’ 53-man is tricky. Seventh-year pro Dak Prescott is firmly established as the team’s starting quarterback, and fifth-year veteran Cooper Rush entered camp as the favorite to be the backup. Rush had earned that after guiding the Cowboys to a "Sunday Night Football" win at Minnesota last Halloween, completing 24 of 40 passes for 325 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Rush found wide receiver Amari Cooper for the game-winning touchdown in the final minute.
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Grier, meanwhile, last played in the regular-season in 2019, when as a Panthers rookie he completed 28 of 52 pass attempts for 228 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions. The Cowboys signed him last September after roster cutdowns. He now feels more ready to pair conceptual command with his athleticism and strong arm.
“I think that’s part of this offense: You kind of have to get to that level before you can start operating quickly,” Grier said Wednesday night after practice. “Biggest thing for me was you can know the plays, you can draw them up on the white board, you can know them in the meeting room and then transferring them out to the field obviously didn’t get a lot of reps last year. So OTAs was like my first real go at it. Getting those reps made the meeting room better, I knew it faster in the meeting room, it kind of all came together.
“I’m light years ahead of last year.”
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Friday night, he’ll aim to show it. Grier missed the Cowboys’ first preseason game after sustaining a groin injury. But he recovered enough to return last week vs. the Chargers, Grier leading Cowboys quarterbacks by completing six of 10 passes for 98 yards in addition to a 9-yard rush. He was limited in some subsequent drills out of precaution but mostly available for individual and team work.
McCarthy says Grier’s “made a step” from last year.
“You can feel the command,” McCarthy said. “I think coming in at the time that he came in (last September), the language barrier is always a challenge when you go into a new system like ours. … He’s playing much quicker. I do think he definitely has the type of play-making ability not only to make plays in the pocket but definitely out of the pocket.”
Grier demonstrated that decision-making and his arm strength on a 32-yard completion to Brandon Smith to open the fourth quarter last week.
Earlier, on his first snap of the game, he rolled out to throw on the move to Ferguson, who found creases to the tune of a 24-yard gain.
Finding success with a second team at the same level wouldn’t be new for Grier, who began his college career at Florida with now-Cowboys quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier. Grier transferred to West Virginia, where in two seasons he completed 66% of his passes for 7,354 yards and 71 touchdowns to 20 interceptions. At the pro level, he’s become accustomed to the uncertainty that end-of-camp roster cuts creates.
NFL teams must cut 80-man rosters to 53 men by Tuesday afternoon. (Sixteen players can return to the practice squad if they clear waivers.) Prescott, Rush, Grier and 2020 seventh-rounder Ben DiNucci remain on the Cowboys’ roster.
Grier says his best bet at staying in Dallas is capitalizing on game snaps, trying to “just be the best me I can be” and hoping his groin injury doesn’t flare up in the game.
What might that best Grier look like? Ferguson, after practices and preseason play with Grier, explains.
“The guy can sling the ball,” he said. “I mean, he’s almost got a swagger out there. When you’re on the field and he’s in the huddle talking to you, you kind of feel a little more comfortable and just ready to go. He almost kind of brings that energy.
“The last play I caught…he hit me and I was like, ‘Ooh, that came a little faster than I expected it to.’ I’m excited to play this home game with him.
“Have my hands ready so it doesn’t hit me in the face.”
Follow Paste BN Sports’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.