Who will Cowboys tab to fill in for Dak Prescott? Eight potential QBs Dallas could consider

During the preseason, Grier and Rush were neck and neck vying for QB2 honors behind Prescott. And Grier had slightly better passing efficiency — completing 56.3 percent of his passes (to Rush’s 54.8%), averaging 5.8 yards per pass attempt (to Rush’s 4.4) and compiling a 2-0 TD-INT ratio (to Rush’s 0-1 ratio).

McCarthy seemed impressed with Grier’s performance against the Chargers this preseason, despite Grier, who’s currently on Dallas’ practice squad, missing time leading up to the game with a pulled groin.

“I’ll tell you, man, what a gritty performance,” McCarthy said last month. “I thought [Grier] did great. Just a gritty performance. It was good to see him in command and running the offense. It was his first real opportunity in this offense, and I thought he did a really nice job.”

Earlier in training camp, McCarthy said Grier had “clearly” taken a step forward. But Grier absolutely needed to, at least compared with his other brief appearances in the regular season. A former third-round pick (No. 100 overall) by the Carolina Panthers in 2019, Grier saw two late-season starts as a rookie — and struggled badly in both.

Grier completed 27 of 44 passes for 224 yards against the Colts in Week 15 that year, but he also threw three interceptions and was sacked five times. Grier then started the following week against the Saints but completed only 1 of 8 passes for 4 yards, lost a fumble and threw an interception before leaving the game with a foot injury.

To date, those are Grier’s only two regular-season showings. He is the most likely candidate — at least initially — to elevate to the roster in Prescott’s stead. Grier had some moments in college at Florida and West Virginia, exhibiting a freewheeling, playmaking bent. This could be a chance to get back in the league and rewrite his NFL script a bit.