Bengals Roster: Realistic expectations for Will Grier in 2023

If someone told a casual NFL fan that before the 2023 regular season got underway the Cincinnati Bengals would sign Will Grier to their practice squad, more than likely, they'd probably have asked "Who?"

Well, fast forward to late August and not only did that scenario happen but Bengals fans were pretty stoked about it! Let's discuss how we got here.

Grier, a former third-round pick by the Panthers in 2019, didn't pan out with the team that drafted him. The Cowboys picked him up and he looked pretty good in preseason. The problem for him was that the 'Boys decided to trade for former third overall pick Trey Lance and the writing was on the wall for Grier.

Grier was informed that he'd be released and then went on to ball out in the preseason finale, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. That made him an appealing name for backup QB-needy teams, such as the Bengals. He was interested in joining Cincinnati and said that getting to play with Joe Burrow was a big factor in why he chose to sign with the Bengals practice squad.

What should Bengals fans expect from Will Grier in 2023?

As for what we can expect from Grier this year, that's still unclear. I'd imagine that Jake Browning, who won the QB2 job over Trevor Siemian this summer, will start off as the backup quarterback because he was with the team all summer and knows the plays (at least better than Grier does).

Perhaps Grier slides into the backup role later on in the season but for now, it's probably Browning's job until he either messes up or Grier really impresses. Hopefully, neither guy sees the field in a competitive game this year because if they do, it means that something happened to Joe Burrow.

We'll see if the hype for Will Grier amounts to anything but for now, he's probably going to be the QB3.