Getty Will Grier of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a quarterback in the NFL Draft, which could lead to Will Grier losing his roster spot.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been clear about his intention to select a quarterback in this year’s draft, with names like Hendon Hooker and Max Duggan popping up as potential options.
“If I look back over my earlier years with Cowboys, I should have,” Jones said of drafting quarterbacks. “If I had to do it over again … I’d have a quarterback coming all the time. Just for that purpose, just to have him coming.”
Grier has been with the Cowboys since 2021 but hasn’t seen the field during his time in Dallas. He’s a former third-round pick of the Panthers and is getting a little old (28) to be viewed as a developmental project. Grier nearly won the backup quarterback spot last season behind Dak Prescott but was eventually beaten out by Cooper Rush.
Prescott and Rush remain on the depth chart above Grier, so if the Cowboys decide to draft a young prospect, Grier will likely be sent packing. Mike Fisher of FanNation identified Grier as a potential cut candidate and laid out his reasoning.
“There’s no cap concern here; rather, it’s about Dallas’ obvious plan to upgrade at the position. Grier is now 28 years old, a bit beyond what can be called a ‘prospect.’ And he’s not going to beat out the re-signed Cooper Rush,” Fisher wrote. “The Cowboys are openly digging through this draft for a kid QB to add to the Dak Prescott-led room. If they find one? The need for Grier lessens.”
Cooper Rush Re-Signs as Sturdy Backup For Cowboys
Getty ImagesCooper Rush of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys were expected to lose Rush as their backup quarterback this offseason to free agency but he ended up staying put on a two-year deal worth a max of $6 million. It also included a $1.25 million signing bonus.
Rush proved he could win games a year ago when Dak Prescott went down. He went 4-1 as the starter for Dallas with Prescott on the mend and there was a thought he could challenge for a starting role somewhere if the right team came calling.
But instead, Rush is back and embracing his role as the backup.
“The role obviously is great,” Rush told ESPN’s Todd Archer. “Then the team. You want to be on a good team, especially if you go in and play. You want guys on both sides of the ball to help you out. We have that in Dallas. And at the end of the day, we don’t have to move the whole family, all those things that are secondary. We love it in Dallas.”
Cowboys Confident in Dak Prescott Turning Things Around
Prescott is coming off a year where he led the league in interceptions despite missing five games. However, at times, he still looked like one of the top quarterbacks in the league, passing for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns.
The Cowboys finished the regular season 12-5 but were bounced in the Divisional Round by the San Francisco 49ers. While there has been some public debate about whether or not Prescott is the long-term QB in Dallas, the Cowboys brass is certain he’s their guy.
“Dak is going to be our guy for, hopefully the next 10 years,” Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said in February. “You say that’s a long time because he’s already played seven. But I think Dak will play that long because he takes care of himself, and he’s driven to be great. We fully expect him to be here for 10 years.”
The next move regarding Prescott is an extension, which would give him some additional years of security but also lower his massive cap hit in the coming years. No talks have started yet.