Cowboys vs Seattle Preseason Week 3: history, key players, projection
By Riley Donald
![ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys dives but falls short of the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys dives but falls short of the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fthelandryhat-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1090315744-850x560-2b7feb62b945094f2da3aca8b72371b025dec1aa8026b645b95846adfc467857.jpg)
Cowboys vs Seahawks: “Under the Radar” Players
Dallas Cowboys: Will Grier, QB
Seattle Seahawks: Geno Smith/Drew Lock, QB
I personally think Will Grier is closer to being QB2 than the Cowboys and their staff may be letting on. I think his moxie, his athleticism advantage over Cooper Rush, and some of his performances up to this point have him firmly in a position to overtake Rush for Prescott’s backup.
#Cowboys' Mike McCarthy says he would like to see QB Will Grier play as much as he can. Says he has had "some excellent practices in Oxnard," and would like to see him get a lot of work Friday night.
— Mark Lane (@therealmarklane) August 23, 2022
It appears that all signs point to Grier getting the lion’s share of snaps on Friday. I think he can make the most of them as well. Grier has only attempted 10 passes this preseason, completing six of them, and is just 18 yards shy of Rush in less than half the completions and nearly three times as many passes. Grier also has a slight Prescott feel with his running ability whereas Rush doesn’t quite provide as much… rush-ing.
Keep an eye out on wide receiver and former Iowa Hawkeye Brandon Smith as well. He had a strong 2021 preseason and is posting another strong showing so far to lock in a practice squad spot and potential 53-man roster spot at some point this year.
Will Grier scrambling his way to a first down. 🏃♂️ @willgrier_
— NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2022
📺: #DALvsLAC on @NFLNetwork (check local listings)
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/mnJpjKDBN0 pic.twitter.com/iYbzasq4eZ
This game means much, much more to the Seahawks than it does the Cowboys. Dallas has all but settled most starting positions and this game will be earning depth chart positions. The Seahawks, however, are still working through who will be the starting quarterback.
Geno Smith is starting this final preseason game but Drew Lock should be seeing a lot of action. Lock missed the second preseason game as he was out with COVID-19 leaving Geno Smith to take a large majority of the snaps.
The Seahawks are in uncharted territory here following the Russell Wilson era and are still looking for the correct answer to lead the offense.