The Dallas Cowboys had one of the league’s best offenses this past season, but with Dak Prescott’s health always looming as a long-term consideration, Dallas opted to add insurance behind their four-time Pro Bowl quarterback. With the new league year just weeks away and several roster decisions carrying real deadlines, the front office has continued to work quietly in the background to stabilize key positions. They didn’t have to look far for their latest quarterback addition, as he had already spent four seasons with the franchise, including a stint on the 2025 practice squad.

On Monday, Dallas announced it had signed quarterback Will Grier to a reserve/future contract, according to reporter Mike Garafolo.

The move ensures Grier will be part of the organization once the 2026 league year officially begins, allowing the Cowboys to carry continuity into offseason workouts while they navigate a tight salary-cap window. It’s a practical step for a quarterback whose NFL journey itself has been anything but straightforward.

Grier entered the league seven years ago after college stops at Florida and West Virginia, and the Carolina Panthers selected him in the third round. His rookie season was brief, which ended with him throwing 4 picks and no touchdowns. That was essentially it in terms of real game action. Those appearances ultimately marked the only regular-season action of his career to date, leaving much of his professional résumé tied to practice squads and developmental roles. It’s a reality that now intersects with Dallas’ broader offseason puzzle.

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He remained in Carolina through 2020 before the Cowboys claimed him off waivers in 2021.

Grier then spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons in Dallas, largely serving as a backup or third-string option. With limited opportunities to separate himself, the partnership stalled, and his career turned nomadic shortly after.

Between 2023 and 2024, Grier bounced through the Bengals, Patriots, Chargers, and Eagles before eventually circling back to Dallas in November 2024. He spent the entire 2025 season on the practice squad and did not appear in a game. This reserve/future contract at least secures his spot in the building heading into training camp, where he’ll once again try to carve out a role.

None of this alters the top of the depth chart. Prescott remains firmly entrenched as QB1 after one of the most productive seasons of his career, throwing for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns while playing all 17 games. His performance also earned him a Comeback Player of the Year nomination, showing how central he remains to Dallas’ plans despite ongoing durability conversations.

This signing is more about depth and competition at QB2. Grier will enter camp competing with Joe Milton III, who served as Prescott’s primary backup last season. In limited action, Milton logged 51 snaps, threw for 183 yards, added one touchdown, and threw two interceptions. While Milton’s upside has intrigued the staff, the Cowboys clearly value having multiple experienced options available behind Prescott.

Dallas has checked one box by reinforcing quarterback depth, but several others remain unresolved. The most pressing — and most complex, involves the salary cap math tied directly to Prescott’s contract.

The Cowboys could save $31 million from Dak Prescott’s contract

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t walking into this offseason with much financial breathing room. Right now, they’re projected to be about $31.4 million over the cap. That’s before they even get into the tougher conversations, including what to do with George Pickens. If that situation tilts the wrong way, the numbers get even tighter.

As usual, the centerpiece of that equation is Prescott’s deal. He signed a four-year, $240 million extension just before the 2024 season, and in 2026 alone, his cap hit is scheduled to balloon to roughly $74 million. With the cap projected to land around $295.5 million, that figure represents close to a quarter of Dallas’ total allotment.

The Cowboys do, however, have a familiar mechanism available. Under NFL rules, teams can convert base salary into a restructuring bonus, spreading that hit evenly across up to five seasons. Because Prescott’s 2026 base salary sits at $40 million, Dallas could convert as much as $38.7 million of it, reducing his immediate cap charge while pushing money into future years.

Executing that restructure would free approximately $31 million in cap space, though it would also increase future cap commitments through bonus proration and void years. With Prescott carrying no-trade and no-tag protections, and with injury history still part of the evaluation, the Cowboys must weigh short-term flexibility against long-term risk.

If Dallas wants the financial room to finalize its defensive staff, address roster holes, and potentially commit long-term resources elsewhere, reworking Prescott’s deal is less a question of if and more a question of how far they’re willing to push it.