Cowboys news: Dallas re-signs a familiar face to the practice squad

The latest news around the Dallas Cowboys.

Cowboys sign Will Grier to the practice squad – Tommy Yarish, DallasCowboys.com

The Dallas Cowboys 2024 season is all about bringing the band back together.

It’s a homecoming for Grier, who departed the Cowboys under emotional circumstances in 2023 after the team traded for Trey Lance, which put the writing on the wall. Grier won Dallas their final preseason game against the Raiders knowing that he wouldn’t be part of the organization going forward, throwing for 305 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 31-16 victory.

“It’s been tough, but I’ve been through tougher stuff, I got a lot of respect for this organization and the Jones family, I understand that it’s a business at the end of the day…” Grier said following the win over the Raiders in 2023. “The hardest part on me is just leaving this place to be honest, I got really close with the team, that stuff’s part about what we do.”

And now, Grier is back in the building with the Cowboys after bouncing around the league in stops with the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, and most recently the Philadelphia Eagles.

The corresponding move to add Grier to the practice squad was releasing undrafted rookie defensive back Emani Johnson.

An important note regarding Grier’s addition is that since he was added to Dallas’ practice squad, he can’t be the emergency quarterback. Grier can still be elevated to the gameday roster and be the backup or third quarterback option, but for the “emergency” designation to be applicable he has to be on the active roster. The Cowboys would have to make a spot on the active roster in order to get Grier the emergency designation.

Jake Ferguson: Dallas Cowboys have to take things one step at a time right now – RJ Ochoa, Blogging the Boys

Our very own RJ Ochoa sat down with the Cowboys star tight end to talk all things Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys are in the middle of a tough season. With a 3-6 record they have their work cut out for them if they want to be playing beyond the regular season, also an obvious statement. We may feel certain ways about the potential or future outlook of this current group, but it is difficult to ever expect the players within the locker room to back down from a challenge in general.

Such was clearly the case when I spoke to Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson on Tuesday. It was my first time speaking with Jake and may I say he is as cool and interesting as they come. We discussed a variety of topics which obviously included this season, the infamous sun and Ferguson’s love of football in general.

You can watch our interview below:

One of the things we spoke about with Jake was his recent partnership with USAA.

Ferguson worked with USAA on Tuesday on a controlled fire of a turkey fryer to spread awareness and educate the public on how to stay safe and avoid home fires ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in USAA’s Huddle Up for Home Fire Prevention & Safety campaign. You can learn more about the initiative right here.

Something I shared with Jake was that no Cowboys tight end has ever scored a touchdown against the Houston Texans. Obviously we are not talking about 100 years of history here, but that is a bit of a fun fact.

Aaron Rodgers Sticks Up for Mike McCarthy After Cowboys’ Fourth Straight Loss – Ryan Phillips, Sports Illustrated

Current New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers had nice things to say about his former head coach, Mike McCarthy.

Aaron Rodgers is sticking up for his old head coach.

During his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers praised embattled Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy was Rodgers’s coach with the Green Bay Packers for 13 seasons, and the duo guided the franchise to a win in Super Bowl XLV.

When asked about the drama between Micah Parsons and McCarthy in Dallas, Rodgers said, “I love Mike, I love Mike. Mike’s Pittsburgh tough through and through, man. Love Mike, 13 incredible years together, so.”

He continued, “I ain’t got much to say besides that, man. Mike’s my boy. I love Mike and you know sometimes some people say things, s— I’ve said a lot of things I want to say back, I’d like to have said back … What I know about Mike is, if anybody can handle that, down there, it’s big Mike. Big Mike is built for, he’s built for adversity.”

With Cowboys season unraveling, what is the message inside The Star? – Jon Machota, The Athletic

After four consecutive losses, the Cowboys Star doesn’t shine too bright these days.

“I enjoy the arena of conflict and being in these types of situations,” McCarthy said Monday, “because these are the years you remember. But it’s time to get it turned. We’ve been in this mode a couple of weeks too long here. But this is a great opportunity for us. No one believes that we can do it, which I think that makes it sweeter. But we need to win a game.”

McCarthy had more than the poor performance on the field to address Monday. He met with Cowboys All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons about comments he made after Sunday’s game.

Parsons offered a headline-grabbing response in the postgame locker room when asked about McCarthy being in the final year of his contract.

“That’s above my pay grade about if Mike is coaching again next year,” Parsons said. “All coaching aside, Mike can leave and go wherever he wants, but guys I kind of feel bad for (are) guys like Zack Martin and guys who might be on their last year or on their way out. Because that’s who I wanted to hold the trophy for. You want to win games and do great things with those type of legends who put in more time and work than Mike McCarthy ever did. Those are the kind of guys that I have so much sympathy and hurt for.”

The two men cleared the air. Parsons let his coach know that his words were taken the wrong way and “that wasn’t his intent.”

“I never once intended to throw Mike McCarthy under the bus,” Parsons said Monday on his Bleacher Report “The Edge” podcast. “He’s one of the most winningest coaches, he’s a Super Bowl champ. … I’ve always had a great relationship with Mike McCarthy, and I never even put that in question.