The Dallas Cowboys and their fanbase seem completely enamored with backup quarterback Joe Milton for no reason other than he has a big arm. It’s something that seems to make them willing to ignore every other metric that shows he’s not very good at football.
That’s why another backup quarterback, Will Grier, might actually be out the door even though he might be a better option if starter Dak Prescott gets hurt again.
For the Cowboys, that might mean getting some value back on Grier in a trade if he has a good preseason — something Bleacher Report’s Mo Moton predicts might happen over the next few weeks.
“In April, the Dallas Cowboys acquired big-armed Joe Milton III from the New England Patriots, which means Will Grier could fall to third on their quarterback depth chart,” Moton wrote on August 9. ” … Grier has put together solid preseason outings in recent years. Now, he can showcase himself to draw interest from other teams that see him as a No. 2 quarterback.”
One team to watch as a possible trade destination for Grier is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who seem like they’re on shaky ground at backup QB with Kyle Trask and don’t have much in the way of an emergency third quarterback with Michael Pratt injured.
From Big 12 Star to NFL Journeyman QB
Grier set the national high school record with 837 passing yards in a single game as a senior at Davidson Day School in Davidson, North Carolina, before starting his college career at Florida.
Grier, 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, started as a redshirt freshman at Florida before he was suspended for one season for using performance enhancing drugs. He transferred to West Virginia, where he was the starter for 2 years. Grier was named Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year in 2017 and All-Big 12 in 2018 after he threw for 3,864 yards, 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
Grier was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round (No. 100 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft. He spent 2 seasons with the Panthers, 2 seasons with the Cowboys in 2021 and 2022 before spending time with the Los Angeles Chargers, Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles over the last 2 years.
Grier made his only 2 career starts as a rookie in 2019, going 0-2 with 228 passing yards, no touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
Cowboys Have Valid QB Health Concerns
The reason there is so much ongoing debate around the Cowboys quarterbacks this year even though there’s only one legit quarterback on the roster is because Prescott missed the final 8 games in 2024 with a hamstring injury and looked mostly lost before he got hurt.
The Cowboys made somewhat of a surprising move to trade for Milton, who was a late round pick by the Patriots in 2024 and won his one start as a rookie in a meaningless regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills — a game in which the playoff bound Bills weren’t playing their starter and winning cost the Patriots the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
If Prescott struggles and the Cowboys continue to lose like they did in 2024 — they went 7-10 after consecutive 12-5 seasons in 2022 and 2023 — expect the calls for Milton to get a chance to get louder with every defeat.
