Cowboys make quarterback decision that could mean more than it seems ahead of 2026 offseason

The Dallas Cowboys are in a good spot when it comes to their quarterback situation. Dak Prescott's best football has come since 2023 and he's shown no signs of slowing down. Not to mention, he was able to play a full season following a nasty hamstring injury in 2024.

But their backup situation could be better. And their latest decision at the position could mean more than it seems at first glance. Let's start with the news.

Will Grier signed to Reserve/Futures deal

The Cowboys announced on Monday they're signing Will Grier to a Reserve/Futures contract. Grier is no stranger to Dallas as he has spent four seasons with the team, including 2025 as a member of the practice squad.

A reserve/futures contract is a minimum-salary deal that doesn't take effect until the start of the next League Year. In 2026, the League Year begins March 11 at 4 p.m. ET, alongside with the free agency period.

Grier could compete for QB2

Though Grier is going to be the underdog on this position battle, I don't think it's wise to rule him out as QB2. As promising as Joe Milton's tools are, the reality is the Cowboys didn't get promising play out of him in 2025.

For most of the preseason and even the limited playing time he got during the regular season, Milton was an inaccurate passer. Though it's easy to get carried away with his arm power, often times, he overthrew receivers by a wide margin. His on-target percentage sat at 65.2%, per Pro Football Reference, which would have ranked below 42 qualifying quarterbacks.

The preseason wasn't much better for Milton, as inaccuracy was a consistent issue for him as well.

By now, it should be clear for Dallas that high-upside projects at quarterback don't always pan out. I'm not saying we've seen enough from Milton to know for sure it's not going to happen for him, but we have seen enough to know the QB2 gig shouldn't be "handed" to him.

In other words, I'd expect Grier to be in a position to compete to be Prescott's backup in 2026. And it wouldn't be a surprise if Dallas looks for outside options as well.

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