‘He wanted redemption’: Will Grier’s final throw from preseason win may give Cowboys QB new NFL life

From @ToddBrock24f7: He’d played a great game and aced his 31-team tryout. But in the final moments of his Cowboys tenure, Grier wanted one more pass.

During the two-minute warning of Saturday night’s preseason finale versus Las Vegas, Will Grier stood on the AT&T Stadium sideline already having made the most of his swan song as a Cowboys quarterback.

He had thrown 34 passes on the evening and hit on 28 of them, an impressive completion percentage of over 82%. He’d tossed a pair of touchdowns and even rushed for two more, having contributed 50-plus yards on the ground to cap off what had been previously designated as an extended tryout for Grier as he hopes to now get a call from one of the other 31 teams in the league.

It was unquestionably Grier’s best performance since his college days at West Virginia and maybe even ranked up there with the day he set the national record by tossing 837 yards in a single game as a high school junior in Davidson, North Carolina. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy would later call Grier’s leading of the Cowboys to a 31-16 win over the Raiders on Saturday the best preseason outing he’d seen from a quarterback in nearly a quarter-century.

All of that is to say the 28-year-old passer would have been excused if, facing a third-and-five from inside his own 30 with 120 seconds to go, he simply executed a victory formation a few times to close out his stay in Dallas on an unfailingly positive note.

But in talking with McCarthy and starting quarterback Dak Prescott, who was calling offensive plays for the first time, Grier instead made a last request.

“He asked for the same play that he had last week in Seattle,” McCarthy explained later in his postgame press conference. “He wanted redemption on it.”

Seven days earlier against the Seahawks, back when Grier was presumed to be a lock to be the Cowboys’ third quarterback for 2023, he attempted a deep ball down the left side to wide receiver Simi Fehoko on a critical third down. It was a play Grier had been running with good success in training camp, but under the lights at Lumen Field, he and Fehoko couldn’t connect.

The Cowboys punted and never got any closer on the scoreboard: another preseason loss. Fast-forward to the next Friday, and Grier was suddenly dead man walking in Dallas after the Cowboys traded for Trey Lance, the third overall draft pick of 2021.

McCarthy said he called Grier immediately after the deal went down. The writing was on the wall for Grier’s future as a Cowboy, but the coach had a simple message for the fifth-year veteran who hasn’t been on the field for a regular-season game since 2019.

“I just asked him to go out there and ‘play your ass off tonight,'” McCarthy said.

So with his Cowboys tenure in its final moments, seeing one last chance to make up for a previous missed opportunity, Grier pounced.

Wideout Tyron Billy-Johnson never even had to break stride to collect the rainbow throw from Grier for a 33-yard gain. It put Grier over 300 yards on the night. More important, it was one last confidence boost for the Cowboys gunslinger who will now ride off into the sunset in search of a new place to hang his hat.

“A statement throw,” McCarthy called it.

For Grier, the whole night was a statement, after a head-spinning couple of days.

“I was motivated,” Grier told reporters following the exhibition win. “It was tough; it was a weird situation. I think at the end of the day, I just rely on the fact that I know how to play football and I’m good at it. So I knew when the game started, I could just play football. That’s what I did.”

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The emotions hit Grier afterward, particularly upon the realization that he would be packing up his locker soon and saying goodbye to teammates.

“Bittersweet. Just close to a lot of these guys; that’s the hardest part,” he explained.

“It’s been tough, but I’ve been through tougher stuff. 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, and I respect that. And the hardest part on me is just leaving this place, to be honest. Just got really close with the team, and that’s the toughest part about what we do.”

And now Grier will- almost certainly, after Saturday’s very encouraging audition- have the opportunity to do it for another team.

That one last statement throw, made when he could have just as easily taken a knee, may have been exactly what somebody needed to see to give him the chance to resurrect his pro career.

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Look: Hunter Luepke has big night in trying to make Cowboys’ 53-man roster

Luepke makes the cutdown day decision much more difficult after a stellar performance against the Las Vegas Raiders. | From @ArmyChiefW3

After not showing much in his first two opportunities, running back Hunter Luepke made a case for a roster spot Saturday night. The undrafted free agent from North Dakota State had himself a game in the Cowboys’ 31-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. He ended his night with 15 carries for 58 yards while also catching 5 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Just before halftime, Luepke used some nifty footwork and picked up 29 yards on a pass from quarterback Will Grier before being tackled at the 15-yard line. He scored on the ensuing play on a 15-yard out route.

Luepke has been sort of a jack-of-all-trades during training camp attempting to show his versatility to the Cowboys coaches and front office. He’s competing for the fourth running back spot behind Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn, all of whom had the night off showing their security for final cuts.

Meanwhile Luepke shared carries with Malik Davis, a 2022 UDFA who saw playing time in the regular season last year, but hasn’t secured a role for 2023 yet. Ronald Jones, Jr. also shares a chance, but injuries kept him out of the entire preseason and he’s facing a two-game suspension to start the year.

While it’s anyone’s guess as to what the final roster and practice squad will look like, Luepke should have a shot at being retained on one or the other. Cuts must be completed no later than Tuesday, August 29 at 3:00 pm Central.

Twitter reacts to Will Grier’s breakout game after learning he’s fired

A look at how fans and media responded to Grier stepping up despite the tough news he received. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Have yourself a day, Will Grier. Less than 48 hours after learning he was essentially a dead-man walking, Grier came out and owned the football field. Faced with a pending release following the Cowboys acquiring 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance, Grier took the opportunity to audition for another team very seriously.

Grier had been lackluster in the team’s first two preseason games, playing well for stretches but making unforgivable mistakes down the stretch. Dallas took the opportunity to trade a fourth-round pick for a player they felt could be a top player in the league and that sealed the deal. Grier took that as motivation and came out dealing, leading Dallas to a 31-16 win in the exhibition finale.

Grier finished the night 29 for 35, throwing for 305 yards and two scores, averaging 8.7 yards a completion. He wasn’t down there, running for another 53 yards and two more scores. Dallas finished the game with 457 yards of offense. Of course, Twitter had a field day with Grier’s performance.

Cowboys prove to not be top-heavy, dominate Raiders 31-16 in battle of reserves

Dallas avoided a winless preseason with an impressive performance behind Will Grier’s 300-yard passing game. | From @KDDrummondNFL

One of the biggest question marks about the Cowboys is just how much depth they have. Sure, they have star power entering the 2023 regular season, but rarely is that enough for a team to hoist the Lombardi at the end of the year. A team either has to be extremely lucky when it comes to injuries or they have to sport extensive depth to be able to plug in reserves and not miss a beat.

A preseason performance is hardly a full gauge of depth, but in a battle of all backups, the Cowboys proved theirs were clearly a class above that of the  Raiders. Led by Will Grier who knew he was playing his last game with a star on his helmet, Dallas dominated in the exhibition finale, taking down Las Vegas 31-16.

Grier, who had starting QB Dak Prescott in his ear as playcaller, led the Cowboys’ offense to over 450 total yards on offense as he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another two. Grier was calm, cool and collected in his audition for 31 other teams after Dallas acquired Trey Lance on Friday and told the young veteran he wouldn’t make the final roster.

Dallas gave him all the snaps and he replied with a 300-yard passing performance, looking better than he had in his previous two outings. Dallas converted seven of their first 10 third downs and was able to stymie the previously en fuego rookie QB Aidan O’Connell.

Dallas moved to 1-2 on the exhibition schedule and will transition to trimming the roster before Tuesday’s deadline. The next time they hit the field will be for the regular season opener against the New York Giants.

LOOK: Cowboys’ score 2 TDs in 3 drives with Prescott as play caller

Dak Prescott isn’t on the field, but his presence has helped Dallas to an early double-digit lead. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dak Prescott play caller expirement is going extremely well. Despite not setting foot on the field for the entire preseason schedule, Prescott is intimately involved in the action on Saturday. In the preseason finale, Mike McCarthy — who will be the playcaller for the first time since coming to Dallas in 2020 — handed over the headset to his franchise QB. So despite not getting any game reps, Prescott is getting some experience with game flow in the Texas Coast offense.

He’s passing his first test with flying colors. The Dallas Cowboys have scored touchdowns on two of their first three drives, with a missed field goal attempt sandwiched in between.

Quarterback Will Grier, who was informed he won’t be making the 53-man roster after the club acquired Trey Lance on Friday, walked in the first score and then found rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker for the second score.

The Cowboys have played a depth-chart line down for the entire preseason, but their strength is showing in a backup-vs-backup match with the Raiders. Dallas leads 14-3 midway through the second quarter.

How to watch, stream, listen to Cowboys-Raiders in preseason matchup

The Cowboys end their preseason slate by facing the AFC West’s Raiders. Here’s how to catch the action where you are. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Preseason games, in general, are disappointing for the casual fan. The ones who don’t pay much attention to the offseason and are just waiting to see their favorite team in action are always disappointed with the exhibition schedule. Mike McCarthy’s approach to not use the games to prepare his top-line players for the real action only infuriates that part of the fan base more.

But for diehards, who care about every spot on the 53-man roster and how the sausage is made, the preseason is still relevant. Even those fans’ interest levels are tested in the preseason finale. The Cowboys will not be playing anyone they can avoid playing, but will give the bottom of the roster the chance to compete for the final few spots on the 53, the practice squad or a place on another team’s ledger.

As Dallas takes on the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, fans will get the opportunity to see the final professional game of some men’s career. And if one is interested in that, there’s plenty to watch, listen to or stream. Here’s how to do it.

3 things to watch for in Cowboys preseason finale vs Raiders

Preseason games are meaningless in the record books, but not to the coaches, front office, and many Dallas Cowboys players. | From @cdpiglet

By this time in the preseason, NFL teams have most things figured out and are simply preparing for the start of the regular season. The Dallas Cowboys have likely already answered most of their own questions regarding the 53-man roster.

They know which veterans they can cut now to bring back later so they can protect and stash a young prospect like pass rusher Isaiah Land or offensive guard T.J. Bass. The coaches understand who not to play to protect them for the games that matter. Seeing them a few extra snaps would not be worth the risk of injury in the coaches’ minds.

Even though 90% of the questions might be answered, the last preseason game still has the ability to answer a few outstanding ones. A handful of roster spots are still in question, and the team could want to see someone in a different role. Here are some of things fans should watch for when the Cowboys take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.

Cowboys DT Trysten Hill suspended 2 games for punch vs Raiders

DT Trysten Hill threw a postgame punch at a Raiders lineman on Thanksgiving Day; now he’ll serve a two-game suspension for the incident. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Famed ring announcer Michael Buffer started the Cowboys’ Week 12 matchup with his trademarked catchphrase, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” Dallas defensive tackle Trysten Hill waited until after the team’s Thanksgiving Day tilt was over to take the advice literally. Now he’ll have two full games to sit and think about his one-punch bout.

Hill threw a punch at Raiders offensive lineman John Simpson in the moments after Thursday’s 36-33 overtime loss. The moment was captured on-camera. Following a review of all video from the game, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued the two-game suspension without pay, saying Hill threw an open-handed punch to Simpson’s facemask, per league insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero.

Hill’s punch did not draw a flag because it happened after the overtime period had ended. The game itself was a chippy affair that saw 28 total penalties and earned ejections for Cowboys rookie cornerback Kelvin Joseph and Las Vegas safety Roderic Teamer for their part in a sideline scuffle that left a field judge with a bloodied chin.

A report over the weekend from Rapoport had stated that Hill was not expected to receive a suspension for his postgame punch.

Head coach Mike McCarthy was not even aware of the incident during his postgame press conference. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn told reporters Friday that he planned to address the behavior with Hill.

“He will be getting a call from me, that’s for sure,” Quinn said. “Just making sure we keep our discipline, right? And it takes a lot of discipline to unclench your fist, sometimes more than to clench it. And so, I think on those ones, let’s make sure we know how to have that kind of discipline, too.”

Hill will be ineligible for both Thursday’s game in New Orleans and the Dec. 12 contest in Washington.

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What We Learned: Injuries caught up to Cowboys, troubling Thanksgiving trend

The Dallas Cowboys learned they need to get healthy, and that the special teams are playing better than the offense or defense currently. | From @CDPiglet

The Dallas Cowboys lost for the third time in four games and everything has gone wrong for them at the wrong time. Quarterback Dak Prescott hasn’t been the same since missing time with a calf injury. The offensive line gets a new starting five weekly it seems, and the defensive line is out so many players their best edge rusher is actually LB Micah Parsons. The Cowboys are now in a race with the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC East, and it’s time for them to turn it around.

Unfortunately this has been a trend for Dallas under Prescott. Dallas has never made the playoffs when they had a losing record during the three-games-in-11-days stretch culminating in the Thanksgiving holiday.

In 2016, and 2018 Dallas swept all 3 games in that time period and won the division twice. In 2017 they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles and the then San Diego Chargers by a combined score of 65-15. In 2019 the Cowboys were swept by the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills, and the Chicago Bears. In 2020, an Andy Dalton lead Dallas team beat the Minnesota Vikings before losing to the Washington Football team by 25, and the Baltimore Ravens by 17. They were home watching the playoffs all three of those seasons.

If the Cowboys can’t fix this trend, they will be watching the playoffs from home yet again, and it will have been 26 years since the Cowboys had made an NFC Championship Game, let alone the Super Bowl.

A team can learn a lot from their first losing streak of the year, and here are some examples of what we learned about this team.

Good, Bad, Ugly: Prescott’s 4th quarter not enough to overcome Cowboys’ defense, penalties

Dak Prescott tried to rescue the Dallas Cowboys from a bad defensive performance and a lack of discipline losing to the Las Vegas Raiders. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys provided another subpar effort in the 36-33 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and the outcome left many Cowboys fans regurgitating Thanksgiving dinner. The flag fest masquerading as a pro football contest surely gave most watching a case of agita.

The Cowboys have now lost three out of four and are suffering from their first back-to-back losses of the season. What once was thought of as a comfortable lead in the NFC East is now just two games in the loss column as the Philadelphia Eagles have been playing their best football.

Even though the Cowboys will be getting several injured players back in Week 13, the bigger issue is the team didn’t play well for the entire month of November.

Before turning the page to December, here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly against the Raiders.