After joining the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad less than a month ago, Will Grier is moving on. On Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Grier’s next destination.
“Former Cowboys’ QB Will Grier is signing to the Patriots active roster,” Schefter wrote on Twitter.
Grier was a third-round selection of the Carolina Panthers in the 2019 NFL Draft out of West Virginia. The 6-foot-1 QB last played in the entirety of the Cowboys’ final preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In the 31-16 victory, Grier completed 29-of-35 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. He added 53 yards yards on 10 carries and two scores. Now, Grier will serve as a backup to Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.
The only experience the 28-year-old QB has in an regular-season NFL game came in 2019, when he started two games for the Carolina Panthers and threw for just 228 yards on 52 pass attempts while tossing zero touchdowns and four interceptions.
Will Grier’s lengthy resumé
These hideous statistics are a far cry from the collegiate career that earned his a spot in the league. In his final season at West Virginia, Grier exploded for 3,864 passing yards and 37 touchdowns while throwing a mere eight interceptions.
Perhaps Grier’s brightest moment came when he was under the most intense spotlight. In WVU’s 59-56 loss to No. 6 Oklahoma, Grier tallied 32 completions for 539 passing yards and four touchdowns while throwing zero interceptions. While Oklahoma walked away with the win, Grier outshined 2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray.
Despite only playing for two seasons with the Mountaineers, Grier finished No. 2 in WVU career history for touchdown passes, No. 3 in career passing yards (7,354) and No. 4 in career pass completions (516).
For his efforts, Grier received a fourth-place finish for the Heisman Trophy, tying Steve Slaton’s 2006 finish for the highest WVU finish since Major Harris finished No. 3 in 1989. The North Carolina native was also named a Maxwell Award finalist and Manning Award finalist.
Grier joined the Mountaineers in 2016 after spending his first two seasons at Florida. While there, Grier amassed 1,204 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. Nonetheless, Grier ultimately transferred after Grier received a one-year suspension for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs.
Grier was a four-star recruit in high school and the No. 2 player from North Carolina. Further, Grier was the No. 4 QB prospect in the nation, according to On3 Industry Rankings.
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