Why Cowboys Changing Signals, Calls After Patriots’ QB Signing

Ezekiel Elliott isn’t the only Patriots player facing his former team this week.

Third-string quarterback Will Grier, whom New England signed late last week, spent the last two seasons and this preseason with the Patriots’ next opponent, the Dallas Cowboys.

Grier was the QB3 in Dallas throughout the 2021 and ’22 campaigns, with the team only cutting him last month after trading for Trey Lance. The 28-year-old had a brief stint on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad before landing in Foxboro, Mass., last Friday.

With Grier just a few weeks removed from his final game as a Cowboy, Dallas’ coaching staff is taking extra precautions as it prepares to host the Patriots at AT&T Stadium this Sunday.

No, Grier isn’t expected to play in the game unless Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe both suffer injuries. But the Cowboys know his deep knowledge of their offense could be an asset to Bill Belichick and his assistants.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told reporters Monday that Dallas is altering its hand signals and calls to protect against any Grier-provided intel.

“We know Will knows where a lot of the bones are buried,” Schottenheimer said, via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “We know (Elliott) does, as well. … I’m sure (Grier) is definitely being interrogated.”

Elliott, of course, also knows the Cowboys well from his seven seasons with the franchise. The veteran running back is coming off his best game as a Patriot and will look to exploit a Dallas run defense that allowed 222 yards and 7.4 per carry Sunday in an upset loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3.

“It’s going to be fun,” Elliott said after rushing for 80 yards in New England’s 15-10 win over the New York Jets. “It’s going to be fun to go back to Dallas, a place where I spent so much time and a stadium I’ve played in a lot. It’ll be fun.”