Getty New Cowboys QB Will Grier
In an ironic twist of fate, Will Grier — who spent one season backing up then-superstar quarterback Cam Newton in Carolina — is gainfully employed with the Dallas Cowboys while the 2015 NFL MVP is left wanting on the free-agent market.
There’s a reason for that. A few, in fact.
“Going through the quarterback position, Will, we thought was the best prospect out there,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy recently said of Grier, via USA Today’s Jori Epstein. “Obviously remember him when he came out of West Virginia. (Quarterbacks coach) Doug (Nussmeier) actually coached him at Florida for a year. So (we) had a chance to study him when he was at Carolina two years ago and felt like through the personnel department and coaching staff, we had really good information on him and thought he’d be a great fit for us.”
McCarthy said of Newton: “I think he has a ton of football left. We’re very excited about the group we have.”
Grier entered the league in 2019 as the Panthers’ third-round draft pick. He made two starts as a rookie, completing 28-of-52 passes for 228 yards, no touchdowns, and four interceptions.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound passer finished his collegiate career with West Virginia — the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year in 2017 and a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2018. He threw for more than 7,300 yards, 71 TDs, and 20 INTs across 22 games in Morgantown.
Before a PED-related suspension prompted his transfer, Grier started out at Florida where he intersected with offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, now the Cowboys’ quarterbacks coach. He completed 65.6% of his attempts, tossed 10 TDs, and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt under Nussmeier’s guidance.
Grier was acquired off waivers from Carolina on Sept. 1. The 26-year-old has since met with Grier and Dallas offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, acclimating to a new system and its accompanying language.
“He needs to get his cadence in line with Dak’s just to make sure we have a rhythm and continuity there at the line of scrimmage,” McCarthy said, via Epstein.
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No Threat (Yet) to Rush?
The addition of Grier and the preceding release of Garrett Gilbert finalized the 2021 Cowboys’ QB stable, which includes franchise cornerstone Dak Prescott, presumed No. 2 Cooper Rush, and Ben DiNucci — waived at final cuts — on the practice squad.
Many took the team claiming Grier to mean that Rush, a former undrafted free agent, will soon lose his place in the pecking order. Not so fast, according to McCarthy, who emphasized “conflict” at the backup spot.
“I don’t look at it as a message to Cooper,” he said, per USA Today. “I think it’s just a message to continue to be competitive and improve your roster. Once again, I think any time you add someone from the outside it brings competition.
“Competition is good. Conflict is good.”
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Jersey Number Changes
Grier and DiNucci opted to switch jersey numbers for the upcoming campaign. Grier, who wore No. 7 with the Panthers, will don No. 15 in Dallas. DiNucci has moved from No. 7 (now owned by cornerback Trevon Diggs) to No. 3, the number previously occupied by Gilbert.
With Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs ditching 27 and opting to wear the number 7 this year, Ben DiNucci has slid to 3. Will Grier now 15. DiNucci on practice squad.
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