Training camp has revealed new roster needs for both the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Tom Brady continuing his mysterious leave of absence, the combination of Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask does not inspire confidence at quarterback if TB12 misses any games during the regular season.
The Cowboys are dealing with injuries to CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and James Washington. Dallas also traded Amari Cooper to the Browns this offseason leaving the team extremely thin at receiver. With the addition of Julio Jones, Scotty Miller may be the odd man out in Tampa Bay given the crowded receiver group.
Dallas has an intense backup quarterback competition brewing between Cooper Rush and Will Grier. Rush has the experience of leading the Cowboys to victory against the Vikings in 2021 when Dak Prescott was sidelined with a calf injury. Grier has had a strong training camp, but Dallas is not expected to keep three quarterbacks on the team’s final 53-man roster.
Swapping Miller for Grier would help both the Cowboys and Buccaneers fill a need before the two teams kickoff the season against each other on September 11. Both players find themselves on the roster bubble and an outright trade would prevent either team from having to go through the waiver process.
Even if Brady returns in time for Week 1 as expected, the Buccaneers are still looking for TB12’s successor given 2022 could be the legendary quarterback’s final season in Tampa. The Bucs selected Trask in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, but the former Florida quarterback has been unable to rise above third on the depth chart over the last two seasons.
Grier at least gives the Buccaneers another young option to explore over the next year. The former West Virginia signal-caller was once believed to be a first-round pick before slipping to the third round in the 2019 NFL draft. Grier has been unable to firmly establish himself as an NFL quarterback, but Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy sees the former Mountaineers standout making strides.
“I think Will’s made a step [forward] clearly,” McCarthy explained during an August 9 press conference. “I think Will’s done a really nice job with his reps. You could feel the command. I think coming in at the time that he came in [last season], the language barrier [of the offense] is always a challenge when you go into a new system like ours.
