Eagles Predicted to Cut Ex-Cowboys QB After Preseason Opener

Getty The Eagles are predicted to cut Will Grier before the start of the season.

The Philadelphia Eagles are projected to cut a veteran quarterback before the start of the season.

According to Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice’s 53-man roster projection after the preseason opener, he predicts the Eagles to cut quarterback Will Grier — with a chance that he’ll land back on the practice squad. The argument is simple — Grier didn’t play in the first preseason game and is role on the team is not as a primary backup, it’s due to his prior experience in playing in Kellen Moore’s offense.

“These will be the three quarterbacks,” writes Kempski. “Rare easy position on this roster to figure out. McKee probably didn’t do enough to close the gap on Pickett for the No. 2 quarterback job in the first preseason game. Grier didn’t play at all in the first preseason game. His purpose for being on the team is that he has experience with Kellen Moore and can help the other quarterbacks learn Moore’s offense. He’ll likely land on the practice squad.”

Why Will Grier Being Cut by Eagles Wouldn’t Be Surprising

The prediction isn’t exactly surprising considering the Eagles made a high-profile trade during the offseason — they gave up a third-round pick — to acquire former Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett. Pickett started 24 games during his two years in Pittsburgh and went 14-10. He’s also a former first-round draft pick.

Meanwhile, the Eagles used a sixth-round draft pick on Tanner McKee in 2023 and he spent the year as the third-string backup. It was both Pickett and McKee who saw action in the preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens — not Grier.

Although Pickett didn’t dominate in the Eagles’ 16-13 win over the Ravens in the preseason opener, he connected on 14-of-22 passes (63.6% completion rate) for 89 yards and one touchdown. However, he was sacked twice, posted an 87.1 passer rating and 4.0 yards per attempt.

Despite the uneven showing, head coach Nick Sirianni defended Pickett following the game.

Via Jeff Neiburg of The Philadelphia Inquirer:

“We were moving the ball nice when Kenny was in,” Sirianni said. “It’s not his fault there were penalties that stalled drives that weren’t necessarily [on] him.”

Will Grier Hasn’t Played in NFL Game Since 2019 Season

The 29-year-old Grier previously spent time as the Dallas Cowboys’ backup quarterback during the 2021 and 2022 seasons when Kellen Moore was the offensive coordinator. However, he didn’t take a single snap during his Cowboys tenure.

Grier initially entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers back in 2019. The only playing time Grier has seen in his NFL career came during his rookie season when he was pressed to start two games at the end of the 2019 season after Cam Newton suffered a season-ending injury and Kyle Allen was benched.

The 6-foot-2 Grier threw zero touchdowns against four interceptions with a 33.2 passer rating while going 0-2 in his two starts. Outside of his stints with the Panthers and Cowboys, Grier has spent time on the practice squad of the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers.

The backup quarterback competition is clearly between Pickett and McKee. Regardless of how the preseason transpires, it’s hard to envision Grier actually landing a spot on the 53-man roster before the season starts.