Cowboys offered job to former quarterback, and it shows why he played multiple years in Dallas
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is no stranger to betting on relatively inexperienced coaching candidates. Recent report puts a former quarterback on the radar for a future coaching opportunity.
Dallas Cowboys fans are no strangers to daydreaming about former players taking on coaching roles on the team. For years, the likes of Sean Lee, Jason Witten, and even Tony Romo were thrown in casual conversations as potential coaching candidates for America’s Team.
But sometimes, reality is different from what fans think. It turns out head coach Brian Schottenheimer recently targeted a former Cowboys player for his coaching staff. It just wasn’t one of the most famous ones.
Cowboys targeted Will Grier for coaching job
The Cowboys offered Grier a position on Schottenheimer’s coaching staff, according to The Athletic’s Joe Person. Grier was “leaning toward taking it” but ended up getting another shot at quarterbacking thanks to the Carolina Panthers.
Although the Cowboys’ offer didn’t translate to a hire, the news highlights two important things.
- Grier may lack the tools to be a starting NFL quarterback, but this shows why he spent four years in Dallas (and why former Cowboys OC Kellen Moore took him to Philadelphia and Los Angeles). His football smarts are clearly respected around the league and he could remain a coaching candidate down the road for Schottennheimer.
- Brian Schottenheimer has shown he can build a standout coaching staff. And not exactly in the traditional Cowboys way. Instead of opting for long-standing coaches, he’s willing to take a swing on coaches with a relative lack of experience. Grier would have been another example.
Grier has a future in coaching once his journeyman days are over
Though the Cowboys didn’t secure Grier this time, expect the journeyman quarterback to land a coaching gig once the offers to play stop coming. His return to the Carolina Panthers means he’s back with the first of six teams he played for before this season.
For now, he can be a very valuable backup quarterback. Kenny Pickett, who backed up the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts praised his knowledge of Kellen Moore’s system.
“(Grier) knows the intricacies of that system,” Pickett said via The Athletic. “So to have a guy like that, where you’re at practice and you’re standing and you’re not in and you’re watching, having really helpful conversations about each play that’s going on.”
Good for the former Cowboys QB on getting another shot at playing. But keep him on the radar as a future coaching candidate in Dallas.