Grier Will-ing to make a quarterback push
FOXBORO >> Will Grier, just having arrived from the Bengals’ practice squad two weeks ago, isn’t thinking about the Patriots’ quarterback depth chart yet.
That’s a good thing because, from the way it sounds, Bill Belichick isn’t ready to move him up over Bailey Zappe to be Mac Jones’ backup quite yet anyway.
Belichick did at least entertain the possibility Grier could eventually ascend up the quarterback pecking order. The Patriots signed Grier, in part, to keep pushing Zappe.
“I think we pretty much take it week by week here,” Belichick said Friday morning. “Before you can really realistically get in there and play, you’ve got to have a pretty good command and understanding of the offense, play- calling, be able to let the other 10 people do their jobs. But yeah, Will’s sharp, and he’s picking things up pretty quickly. If we had an emergency and like we had to put him in there, then I think, yeah, we could try to get him ready, but I mean, the other two guys are just further along at this point.”
Grier, who has served as the Patriots’ emergency third quarterback in Weeks 3 and 4, is the fourth player to share the QB room with Jones and Zappe this season. The Patriots had Trace Mcsorley in training camp and then claimed Matt Corral off of waivers from the Panthers in August. After Corral left the Patriots without notice and landed on the exempt list, the team brief ly had Ian Book on their practice squad. The Patriots intended to sign Corral to their practice squad after waiving him, but the deal fell through and Grier was signed off of the Bengals’ practice squad.
Grier’s goal is to master an offense that he says is “definitely different” from systems he’s run in the past with the Panthers, Cowboys and Bengals. That includes any reps he can get in practice plus time spent in walk-throughs and a virtual room that the Patriots house at Gillette Stadium.
“Just to every week try to have a wider range of plays I can execute in the game,” Grier told the Herald on Thursday. “I know more this week than I did last week. And the goal is just to continue to chip away at that and be able to know the entire game plan and feel comfortable executing the entire game plan. As soon as possible.”
Belichick has been impressed with the 2019 thirdround pick in the brief time he’s been with the Patriots. The West Virginia product has two career starts under his belt from his rookie season on the Panthers when he went 0-2 with a 33.2 passer rating.
“Sharp guy. Good understanding of — he’s been in a couple of different systems, but he has a pretty good understanding of the offensive system and kind of what we do, what’s different about it from Cincinnati to Dallas and vice versa,” Belichick said. “Picking up the terminology and that, so I think
he’s getting more comfortable each day, each week. Good arm. Pretty athletic kid.”
Belichick did say that it’s harder for players to move up the depth chart in the regular season than it might be during training camp because there are fewer practice opportunities for non-starters.
Grier is also trying to help out Jones as much as possible with the intention of helping the team win more games. Grier was spotted in the locker room earlier this week giving Jones tips.
“I’ve played a lot of different teams, being on different teams with different coaches,” Grier said. “So, I’ve heard a lot of football from a lot of different guys that have done it for a long time. So, I’m no genius myself, but I take what I’ve learned and just try to pass it along and make the whole room better. I’m trying to help Mac be the best he can be.”
Grier said he’s trying to “maximize” Jones, who he sees as a “smart guy” who “works really hard.”
“I’ve been impressed with his work ethic and his
will and want to get better,” Grier said. “So, I’m excited to see how he kind of progresses throughout the season.”
Grier’s experience in New England has been an adjustment even beyond the different system he’s learning. For the first time in his NFL career, Grier, 28, is the old guy in the room.
He said he’s simply trying to pass long experiences he’s had in different spots.
Jones was benched late in the third quarter of the Patriots’ loss to the Cowboys, but Belichick said it was unrelated to his per
formance. If Jones has more games like Week 4, when he tossed two interceptions and lost a fumble, then an actual benching could be justified.
With the way the Patriots’ quarterback depth chart is constructed, it would be a hard sell to the rest of the team that Zappe, who was cut out of training camp and left available to all other 31 teams, is the best option to start. If Grier passes Zappe on the depth chart, then things become more interesting.
Neither Grier nor the Patriots are rushing it.