The Dallas Cowboys hosted their final preseason game of 2023 on Saturday with a matchup versus the Las Vegas Raiders.
For most teams, the third preseason game has been a dress rehearsal for the starters.
Tonight, however, the Cowboys and Raiders played primarily backups and players fighting for a spot at the bottom of the final roster.
For Will Grier, tonight was different.
Late Friday afternoon, the Cowboys finalized a trade with the San Francisco 49ers that will bring former number three overall pick QB Trey Lance to Dallas.
Grier was essentially given his walking papers, and Saturday night’s game was deemed an audition for the other 31 NFL teams.
Led by first time play caller Dak Prescott, Grier was impressive in the 31-16 win, and Dallas’ lone win of the preseason.
Perhaps Prescott, his buddy in the quarterback room, called plays to bring attention to the things Grier does well.
However it went down, Grier still had to execute those plays, and did so accordingly.
He finished 29/35 for 305 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also threw in another 53 yards rushing with two scores.
Grier’s four total touchdowns on the night put an exclamation point on the end of his short Cowboys career, and put good football on tape for other teams to consider.
In his first five drives, Grier got the Cowboys into the endzone four times, and the one drive where he didn’t was a missed 59 yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey.
No matter where he ends up, he can always say he played all four quarters of a game with the Dallas Cowboys, and led them to a win.
He wasn’t the only star to shine bright out there either.
Hunter Luepke
Running back/Fullback Hunter Luepke got the start, and the bulk of the touches on Saturday night.
Luepke and Malik Davis were the only active backs on the evening, but only one of them made a statement for a spot on the final roster.
Head Coach Mike McCarthy told us we would see more of Luepke in the final preseason game, and boy were we in for a treat.
Fighting for a roster spot, the North Dakota State product rushed 15 times for 58 yards, showing off his underrated elusiveness, but also his ability to pound it between the tackles.
The surprise was his involvement in the passing game.
Luepke hauled in five receptions on five targets, racking up 58 yards and a touchdown.
His most impressive reception was a 29 yard catch and run where he eluded a tackler, then split two Raiders defenders on the sideline and into the red zone.
Grier rewarded him on the next play, hitting him on a short route that Luepke turned up into the endzone to put the game out of reach for the Raiders.
Not only did he do well with the ball in his hands, but he also was near perfect in pass protection.
If nothing else, Luepke made the decision on who to keep in the running back room more difficult than the Cowboys’ coaches anticipated.
The Cowboys finish the preseason with a record of 1-2, and now look forward to the night of September 10th.
They travel to the Meadowlands to take on the division rival New York Giants in Week 1 of the regular season.