ARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 26: Will Grier #15 celebrates with Jalen Brooks #83 and Luke Schoonmaker #86 of the Dallas Cowboys after a first quarter touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders in a preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 26, 2023 in Arlington, Texas.
Will Grier had a hand in four touchdowns in a 31-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in a preseason finale Saturday night, a day after the Cowboys appeared to fill his third-string role by acquiring Trey Lance in a trade with San Francisco.
With star Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott calling the plays, Grier threw for 305 yards with two TDs and ran for 54 yards with two more scores in what might have been his final act with the Cowboys after two seasons behind backup Cooper Rush.
Damien Williams had a 24-yard touchdown run for the Raiders, who were playing a few hours after NFL rushing champion Josh Jacobs ended his contract stalemate by agreeing to a one-year deal.
The loss ended a six-game preseason winning streak for Las Vegas, which was tied with Pittsburgh for the NFL’s longest after Baltimore’s record 24-game run ended at Washington last week.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
After Grier’s 15-yard scoring pass to rookie running back Hunter Luepke for a 21-10 lead late in the first half, Prescott pumped his fists the same he way does after his own TDs and celebrated with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and coach Mike McCarthy.
“It’s a great time,” Prescott said. “It’s not just playing the game, it’s being able to impact it every which way. Obviously knowing that this is a big night for Will, I was just trying to make him comfortable.”
Grier, whose only two regular-season games came as a rookie with Carolina in 2019, took every snap for the Cowboys with Rush entrenched in the role behind Prescott.
Blue Star
The center of the Dallas Cowboys universe.
The starters sat for both teams, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a week after his Las Vegas debut. Almost every Dallas starter didn’t play at all in the preseason.
Many who saw extensive action have tenuous roster situations similar to Grier’s, including Williams (six carries, 54 yards) and Dallas running back Malik Davis (10 carries, 42 yards).
The Cowboys sat Rico Dowdle and rookie Deuce Vaughn, an indication they are filling the two spots behind lead back Tony Pollard.
The same was true for the Raiders, who rested Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah after they spent all of training camp in the top two spots while Jacobs stayed away.
BY THE NUMBERS
Third-string Las Vegas QB Aidan O’Connell was 17 of 26 for 178 yards, and Kristian Wilkerson had 10 catches for 122 yards.
Luepke, who was Lance’s teammate at North Dakota State, had 118 scrimmage yards (58 rushing, 60 receiving). Grier was 29 of 35 passing.
GETTING THEIR KICKS
Barring a late change, the Cowboys are set to start the season with unproven 28-year-old rookie Brandon Aubrey, who missed from 59 yards in the first half but made one from the same distance after the break.
Dallas had a kicking misadventure in the playoffs last season when Brett Maher missed four consecutive extra points in a 31-14 wild-card win at Tampa Bay.
The Raiders are set for their fifth full season with Daniel Carlson, who has a career accuracy rate of 88%. The 28-year-old made a 62-yarder on the final play of the first half and was 3 of 3.
UP NEXT
Both teams open the regular season on the road Sept. 10. The Raiders play Denver, and Dallas gets the New York Giants in the first Sunday night game.
