The Cowboys have claimed Quarterback Will Grier after he was waived yesterday by the Carolina Panthers. A 3rd-round pick in 2019, Grier now enters Dallas’ questionable QB situation with only Cooper Rush currently on the roster as depth.
Grier was the 100th pick in 2019 as the Panthers were starting to build toward a future without Cam Newton. But that future came faster than expected and didn’t include then-Head Coach Ron Rivera. Though he remained on the roster last year with Matt Rhule taking over, Grier saw no playing time in the regular season.
Carolina traded for Sam Darnold in April to hopefully resurrect his career as their QB of the future. Grier competed with veteran and XFL-standout P.J. Walker for the backup job and ultimately lost, leading to his hitting the waiver wire.
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Cooper Rush will likely remain the backup QB temporarily as Grier learns Dallas’ system. But like we saw with Rush himself in 2017, it may just be a matter of time before the Cowboys make a change during the middle of the year.
Rush outplayed and took the QB2 job from Kellen Moore midway through his rookie season.
We know draft status only means so much but it’s interesting to note that, as a former 3rd-rounder, Grier was taken higher than any QB Dallas has drafted since Quincy Carter in 2001.
Since entering the league the 26-year-old has played for three different head coaches in the NFL. This could have a lot to do with why he’s available now.
Grier may have been on Dallas’ radar due to QB Coach Doug Nussmeier, who was the Offensive Coordinator for the Florida Gators during Grier’s freshman year in 2015. Grier played in six games and was solid, but an issue with PEDs led to him transferring to West Virginia.
Though he hasn’t shown much yet in the NFL, Will Grier came into it with more pedigree than Cooper Rush, Garrett Gilbert, Ben DiNucci, and even some of our recent starters. Hopefully, he is the upgrade at backup QB that many have been clamoring for.
