Getty Images Kellen Moore
The Philadelphia Eagles are adding further quarterback depth behind Jalen Hurts, signing former journeyman signal caller Will Grier.
Grier, 28, spent the 2023 season with stints on the New England Patriots‘ practice squad and the Los Angeles Chargers‘ practice squad.
In Los Angeles, where he was in the same quarterback room as Justin Herbert, Grier played underneath the Eagles’ new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Grier’s signing was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Originally chosen by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft, Grier appeared in two games that season, completing 28-of-52 passing attempts for 228 yards.
Grier’s signing follows the Eagles’ trade to acquire Kenny Pickett from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will likely serve as Hurts’ primary backup during the upcoming 2024 season.
The West Virginia standout had two stints with Grier, as the pair were also together with the Dallas Cowboys during the 2021 and 2022 NFL seasons.
However, Grier now has the opportunity to act as a conduit from Moore to the rest of the quarterback room helping Hurts and Pickett get up to speed with the terminology and concepts of a new offensive system.
Kenny Pickett Was Thrilled to Sign With the Eagles
Pickett might not have the same opportunity to start in Philadelphia as he did during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being chosen in the first round of the 2022 draft but says he relishes the opportunity to land with the Eagles.
“I wanted to get a chance to go somewhere else and continue to grow my career,” Pickett told reporters during his introductory press conference. “The fact that it is in Philly, the [area] that I grew up and found a love for the game here, with a great coaching staff, great players — I’m looking forward to meeting all these guys in a couple weeks when everybody gets back into town, but I think it’s an awesome opportunity to join this team.”
During his first two seasons with the Steelers, Pickett was wildly inconsistent, completing 62.6% of his passes for 4,474 yards with 13 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. Ultimately losing his starting job to Mason Rudolph in 2023, the Steelers traded Pickett shortly after signing veteran quarterback Russell Wilson.
The Eagles have two years to evaluate whether Pickett can be the team’s long-term developmental backup quarterback or perhaps flip him in a future trade, as the former University of Pittsburgh standout has two years remaining on his current contract and is set to count $1.9 million against the cap in 2024 and $2.6 million in 2025.
Eagles Still Have One of NFL’s Best Salary Cap Situations
The Eagles have aggressively added potentially elite starting caliber players along with experienced veteran backups during free agency, and yet have one of the best salary cap situations as of March 23.
Even after signing the likes of running back Saquon Barkley, edge rusher Bryce Huff, linebacker Zack Baun as well as depth pieces such as Grier, and wide receivers DeVante Parker and Parris Campbell, among others, the Eagles still have approximately $34.2 million in cap space for 2024.
The Eagles’ current cap space represents the sixth-most spending flexibility in the league.