29 August 2023 , 10:44
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Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy says that Will Grier put in the best pre-season performance for a quarterback days after he was cut.
The Cowboys agreed to a surprise trade with the San Francisco 49ers on Friday that saw the team acquire third-year QB Trey Lance. The No.3 draft pick from 2021 will move to Texas with Dallas sending a future fourth-round pick to the Niners.
Soon after the trade was announced, news emerged that the Cowboys would be releasing Grier. The move would be confirmed after Saturday’s pre-season game against the Las Vegas Raiders, which Grier would play the entirety of before he leaves the NFL franchise.
After the Lance trade, Dallas now has Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush and Lance in the QB room. That meant there was no place for Grier on the team, with the Cowboys in the process of finalising the 53-man roster before Tuesday’s 9pm (4pm ET) deadline.
In what was Grier’s final game for the Cowboys, he completed 29-25 passes with 305 passing yards. He also completed two touchdown passes and zero interceptions, helping the Cowboys to a 31-16 win over the Raiders.
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McCarthy was asked about both the trade for Lance and the release of Grier in a press conference after the win over the Raiders. The Cowboys head coach gave an honest answer, where he admitted that it was a difficult decision to cut Grier from the team.
"I’m excited about the acquisition [of Lance],” said McCarthy. “You know, the timing of it is tough and that’s where I’d really like to shift gears here because I can’t tell you how proud I am of Will Grier and the team and just the way they played tonight."
McCarthy added: "I thought he handled it very well and I just asked him to go out there and play your a** off tonight.
"That is by far, I was trying to think walking over here, but for a pre-season quarterback performance, that might be the best performance I’ve seen since 1999. Matt Hasselback had some of these."
Lance is likely to be the No.3 quarterback behind Prescott, who will be the starter, and Rush, who will be the back-up. But the 23-year-old will have the opportunity to learn from two veteran QBs as he looks to kickstart his career in the NFL.
The Cowboys begin their 2023 NFL season against NFC East divisional rivals the New York Giants on September 10.