FRISCO - Stephen Jones indicated during the week of the NFL Scouting Combine that there could be change in the Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks room once the offseason got underway. Weeks later those theories became reality.
The Cowboys showed little interest in bringing back Cooper Rush and Trey Lance. Rush has moved on to become the backup behind Lamar Jackson with the Baltimore Ravens while Lance's options in the NFL are more uncertain.
These decisions now put the Cowboys in need of replacements. Dak Prescott looks to be back in good shape with offseason programming on the horizon though the team wants a steady insurance policy behind him.
Reality is, Prescott has suffered season-ending injuries in two of the last five seasons and missed a period of time in a third. Building up a quarterback infrastructure behind him will be key in case he happens to miss a game or two this season.
Assuming the team wants three quarterbacks on the roster, they will likely snag a rookie on Day 3 of the NFL Draft and add a veteran to the group as well. The rookie could be any number of projected late-round prospects though Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is gaining some momentum there.
As for the veteran, the Cowboys may already have their guy. Journeyman Will Grier spent a near two-year stint with the Cowboys from the 2021 season to the summer of 2023. Grier returned to Dallas in 2024 as a practice squad player after bouncing around a couple teams in between.
Given his familiarity with The Star, Grier could be the target Dallas zeroes in on to fill a spot behind Prescott. He has only started two games in his career that frankly did not go well for him back in 2019.
Grier was a rookie at the time. Nonetheless, the hours working with some of the current staff and behind Prescott may give him a chance to compete for a place on the depth chart in the coming months.
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A similar situation has played out in recent years when Prescott had missed time. Back in 2021 and 2022, Rush got the nod without much of a reputation proceeding him. Dallas has had their chance to pursue replacements outside the building, but have proven comfortable sticking with their own in these cases.
Now if they draft a rookie capable of cementing his spot behind Prescott, then Grier certainly has a tougher time seeing the field in a scenario where the starter misses time.
But in purely filling the need of a veteran backup with this group, Grier may be the guy.
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This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 11:33 AM.
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