After a disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Dallas Cowboys head into Week 4 of the NFL season seeking to bounce back. Their opponent? 

The New England Patriots.

The Patriots are a storied franchise, bringing home six Super Bowls, but as of late it has been more of a struggle for them as they navigate the post-Tom Brady Era. It's too early to tell if quarterback Mac Jones is the guy or not but the Pats have recently brought in some new help. 

Some help that will be familiar to Dallas fans. You see, the Patriots signed former Cowboys top-ten pick Ezekiel Elliott earlier this year and just last week they signed former Cowboys backup quarterback Will Grier off the Bengals practice squad. 

The Elliott signing, you won't think twice about. He has carved out a role in that offense (he even led the Pats in rushing last week) and it was early enough in the year to not raise any red flags.

The Grier signing is a different scenario. Grier was signed just over a week before they were set to face the Cowboys. As ESPN's Todd Archer pointed out, there is probably a reason why.

Patriots signed QB Will Grier last week off Bengals PS, so the Cowboys will alter their hand signals, calls this week. Brian Schottenheimer: “We know Will knows where a lot of the bones are buried. We know Zeke does as well … I’m sure (Grier) is definitely being interrogated.”

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 26, 2023

Cowboys offensive coordinator Bian Schottenheimer seems to believe Grier is being interrogated, so much so that the team will be changing hand signals. To these comments, the Patriots' own OC responded they're not actually doing that. It's no secret NFL teams usually get as much information from former players as possible. 

Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien: "We're not interrogating anyone, we're just trying to put together the best game plan we possibly can." https://t.co/XIP2gXg0uq

— Sophie Weller (@sophieewellerr) September 26, 2023

The good news is the Cowboys are aware of this (as they should be) and will be altering their calls so that they do not tip off the former Cowboys as to what they're running.

I expect both Grier and Elliott to be standing near or next to the Patriots' defensive coordinator relaying him information when the Cowboys are breaking their huddle and trying to give him any personnel tendencies they may recognize. Or at the very least (gameday can be pretty busy), helping in prep work during the week.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb faces a different challenge vs Patriots

Should be a good one.