Getty Former Dallas Cowboys QB Will Grier (left).
When we last saw former Cowboys Will Grier on a football field, it was in a Dallas uniform and his performance was truly resplendent, even if the circumstances were especially bizarre. Early on August 26, the Cowboys and 49ers agreed to a trade for former No. 3 pick Trey Lance, which meant that Grier knew his time in Dallas was coming to an end.
But he had one last hurrah in store, after having been with the team through offseason work and into training camp and the preseason games. Facing the Raiders, Grier shined in the preseason finale for Dallas, hurling for 305 yards and an 82.8 completion percentage. He had two touchdowns in the game, too.
He earned the respect of his teammates in Dallas, none more than star quarterback Dak Prescott, who also called the plays in that finale.
“Honestly right now, my heart and my mind is with Will Grier,” Prescott said after the Cowboys preseason finale, when addressing the Lance trade. “So it’s a tough situation, honestly. Love that guy to death over there. Plays his ass off, comes in, prepares the right way each and every day.”
It is bizarre, then, to watch the ineptitude unfolding at quarterback for the Patriots—which the Cowboys saw up close in Week 4—and find that New England has, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, cut ties with Grier.
As Schefter wrote on Twitter/X: “Patriots’ QB news: New England waived quarterback Will Grier, per source.”
Patriots’ QB news: New England waived quarterback Will Grier, per source.
Still No NFL Chances for Ex-Cowboys Will Grier
While the decision the Patriots’ Week 12 starter remains a cliffhanger, this news is truly a bummer for Will Grier, who has to be wondering what he needs to do to get a legitimate NFL chance if he can’t beat out the two ahead of him on the Patriots depth chart.
Grier was a third-round pick by the Panthers in 2019, and started the final two games for Carolina that season. Those games did not go well. Grier completed 53.8% of his passes of cases for 228 yards but recorded no touchdowns and was intercepted four times. He also was sacked six times.
In fairness to Grier, Cam Newton got hurt that year and the Panthers were terrible, closing the year on a seven-game losing streak. It did appear that Grier was on his way to a new, more solid role as the backup to Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush in Dallas.
Cowboys Remember Their Ex-Backup Fondly
But the Lance trade got in the way of that, and the events in New England now also are a bummer for Cowboys fans who might have liked a look at how Grier handled an opportunity to play, especially with the lowly Giants on the Patriots’ schedule.
Grier signed with Cincinnati after he was cut by the Cowboys, but remained on their practice squad until the Patriots put him on their 53-man roster in September. Perhaps the Bengals, who lost Joe Burrow for the season, will be the team to give Will Grier a chance.
Either way, he left an impression in Dallas, at least, even if he has yet to do so elsewhere. Said coach Mike McCarthy on the day of the preseason finale/Trey Lance trade: “When I got the phone call, I called Will immediately. I just asked him to go out there and play his ass off tonight. It was a great opportunity and the team rallied around him … I’m just so proud of him.”