After the disasterclass that was Matt Eberflus's coaching during the 2025 campaign, the Dallas Cowboys made tons of changes to the defensive staff this offseason. But what about a shot in the arm for an offense that was already one of the league's best under Brian Schottenheimer a year ago?
That's precisely what the Cowboys provided when they quickly hired former backup quarterback Will Grier to the staff as an offensive assistant after he retired before training camp with the Carolina Panthers. And although hiring him was no coronation, it wasn't exactly out of nowhere, either.
The Athletic's Joseph Person reported on Grier's career earlier this offseason and noted that Dallas made Grier a job offer before his swan song played in Carolina. By getting in on the bright young coach earlier, Schottenheimer and the Cowboys may have duped the rest of the NFL.
Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer thinks Will Grier is a rising star in coaching world
Schottenheimer spoke with the media ahead of the team's first training camp practice on Wednesday, and a reporter asked him about how the Grier hire came together and what he's already seen from the coach in his infant stage.
"We tried to get it done [earlier this offseason], and at the end of the day, Will wanted to go play. We wanted to do it before," Schottenheimer explained. "I get that. When you're done playing, you're done playing. And I think the draw of being able to come back here and work with this team and this group of young men [was intriguing to him].
I think he's going to be an outstanding coach. You see these guys -- it wasn't my journey at all -- but you see the Davis Webbs of the world, you see these guys that go shooting up the ladder. And Kell[en Moore], I think, was that way when he was here. I think the same way about Will. I think Will Grier is going to be a terrific coach, and he'll probably be calling plays in this league in the next 6 to 8 years."
That is some incredibly high praise for a guy who just got The Star, as a coach, anyway, no more than a week ago. Webb got head coach interviews this past cycle despite just being the Denver Broncos' pass game coordinator and QB coach, and he just took over for Sean Payton as the play-calling OC.
Moore, as fans know, became an offensive coordinator in just Year 2 of his coaching journey and was leading an NFL team of his own just a little over a half-decade later. This is great company for Grier to be in before setting foot on the field for his first training camp with a whistle around his neck.
Landing a coach like this only days before the veterans report for training camp is a true coup d'état for the Cowboys. They really duped the NFL by getting in on Grier early and planting the coaching seeds in his mind before his last dance with the Panthers.
His title of "offensive assistant" is rather ambiguous, perhaps intentionally so. He was added too late in the year to be a position coach or coordinator of any sort, but this vagueness will allow Grier to bounce around and put his fingerprints on many different things while learning from everyone.
Dak Prescott, with whom he has a great relationship, is sure to be happy that Grier is back, and keeping your quarterback happy is a big deal. I'll leave you all with this quote from Schottenheimer about the hiring of Grier, which pretty much says it all about Dallas' new coaching voice.
"I told the guys yesterday, I said, 'Hey, I got some sad news: Will Grier's retired. But we got some good news. Will Grier has joined the coaching staff."
Add us as a preferred source on Google