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Cowboys Announce Unexpected Quarterback Move After Dak Prescott News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Mar 12, 2026 5:17 PM ET

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys had a 2025 NFL season to forget, finishing with a 7-9-1 record and missing out on the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Still, Prescott played well enough to earn a Pro Bowl nod, completing 404-of-600 passes for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The wide receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens certainly helped.

Now, with free agency underway, the Cowboys are making moves in hopes of getting back to the playoffs in 2026. But in order to add key players to the roster, they had to restructure numerous contracts, including Prescott's, which saved Dallas around $66 million in cap space. With some of that saved money, the Cowboys elected to sign former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Howell. But Jerry Jones wasn't done at that position just yet.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4).© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Will Grier, after spending his college career with the Florida Gators and West Virginia Mountaineers, was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the No. 100 pick in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The quarterback spent two years in Charlotte before he was released ahead of the 2021 season.

Grier would then jump around the NFL for the next few seasons, including a two-year stint with the Cowboys from 2021 to 2022. After that, he spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles, mostly as a backup and on the practice squad, before rejoining the Cowboys in 2024.

Grier has been in Dallas since, spending most of his time on the practice squad. Following the 2025 season, the Cowboys signed him to a reserve/future contract, placing him on the 90-man offseason roster. However, with Howell coming in, along with Prescott and Joe Milton, Dallas now has a surplus of quarterbacks, forcing Jones to release Grier on Thursday depsite his recent deal.

"The @dallascowboys signed S Jalen Thompson, S P.J. Locke and QB Sam Howell on Thursday," Dallas Cowboys Public Relations wrote on X. "The club also released QB Will Grier."

The @dallascowboys signed S Jalen Thompson, S P.J. Locke and QB Sam Howell on Thursday.

The club also released QB Will Grier.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) March 12, 2026

While the Cowboys still have some moves to make this offseason, they addressed one of their needs by trading for Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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