FRISCO, Texas - With Dak Prescott opting to undergo season ending surgery to repair his partially-torn hamstring, the Cowboys have signed Will Grier to the practice squad as the teams' third quarterback alongside Cooper Rush and Trey Lance. Mike McCarthy hinted in his Monday press conference that Dallas was "close" to signing one, and now it's official.
It's a homecoming for Grier, who departed the Cowboys under emotional circumstances in 2023 after the team traded for Trey Lance, which put the writing on the wall. Grier won Dallas their final preseason game against the Raiders knowing that he wouldn't be part of the organization going forward, throwing for 305 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys' 31-16 victory.
"It's been tough, but I've been through tougher stuff, I got a lot of respect for this organization and the Jones family, I understand that it's a business at the end of the day…" Grier said following the win over the Raiders in 2023. "The hardest part on me is just leaving this place to be honest, I got really close with the team, that stuff's part about what we do."
And now, Grier is back in the building with the Cowboys after bouncing around the league in stops with the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, and most recently the Philadelphia Eagles.
The corresponding move to add Grier to the practice squad was releasing undrafted rookie defensive back Emani Johnson.
An important note regarding Grier's addition is that since he was added to Dallas' practice squad, he can't be the emergency quarterback. Grier can still be elevated to the gameday roster and be the backup or third quarterback option, but for the "emergency" designation to be applicable he has to be on the active roster. The Cowboys would have to make a spot on the active roster in order to get Grier the emergency designation.
