The Cowboys released quarterback Will Grier on Thursday, a day after coming to terms with Sam Howell.
Dallas now has Howell and Joe Milton behind Dak Prescott.
Grier, who turns 31 in April, entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Panthers in 2019. He started two games as a rookie, the regular-season action he has seen in his career.
He completed 53.8 percent of his passes for 228 yards with four interceptions.
Grier has spent more time with the Cowboys than any other team, mostly on the practice squad, but also has been with the Patriots, Chargers and Eagles. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles.
Cowboys Clips
The Cowboys have made a second trade on Wednesday, sending defensive lineman Solomon Thomas to the Titans, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The teams will swap seventh-round picks, with the Cowboys getting No. 218 overall and the Titans No. 225 overall.
The Cowboys will save about $2.5 million in cap space, with $750,000 in dead money.
It reunites Thomas with Robert Saleh. The two were together with the 49ers from 2017-20 and with the Jets from 2021-24, so last season, when Saleh was back in San Francisco and Thomas was in Dallas, was the only season they weren’t on the same team.
The Cowboys had a glut of defensive tackles as they switch to the 3-4 and sent Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers earlier in the day.
Thomas, 30, played 16 games with two starts last season, totaling 27 tackles while playing 419 defensive snaps and 85 on special teams.
In his career, the third overall pick in 2017 has recorded 239 tackles, 18.5 sacks, 53 quarterback hits and three forced fumbles.
The Cowboys have traded defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.
The Cowboys will receive a third-round pick in return.
The move was expected after they signed nose tackle Otito Ogbonnia on Tuesday, and a report indicated they were in talks with the 49ers. It reunites Odighizuwa with Matt Eberflus, who was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator last season and now serves as the 49ers’ assistant head coach of defense.
The Cowboys will save $4.75 million, but they have a $16 million dead cap charge.
Dallas made a splash last offseason, re-signing Odighizuwa, who would have been one of the NFL’s top free agents, to a four-year, $80 million contract with $58 million guaranteed. The Cowboys then traded for defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams during the season.
That gave the Cowboys a glut at the position as they switch to the 3-4 under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
Odighizuwa totaled 44 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 23 quarterback hits in 17 games last season.
Defensive end Tyrus Wheat is headed back to Dallas.
According to multiple reports, Wheat has agreed to sign with the Cowboys. Wheat played in Dallas during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but left to play for the Lions in 2025.
The Lions opted not to tender Wheat with a contract as an exclusive rights free agent, which left him available to return to the Cowboys.
Wheat had 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 15 appearances for Detroit last season. He had 17 tackles and a half-sack in his 20 appearances with the Cowboys during his first stint with the team.
Twenty years ago, the Dolphins wanted to sign Drew Brees in free agency. Miami’s doctor decided that Brees, who had offseason shoulder surgery, couldn’t pass a physical.
Dolphins coach Nick Saban later complained about the faculties of the physician that failed Brees on the physical: “That doctor didn’t know his ass from a handful of sand.”
On Tuesday, the Ravens’ decision not to proceed with the Maxx Crosby trade was based on input from multiple physicians.
Said Adam Schefter of ESPN last night: “My understanding is there were multiple doctors that reviewed his MRI scans. There were doctors that examined him — including Dr. Daniel Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys’ doctor, that performed surgery on Patrick Mahomes and Malik Nabors. Many teams, and players rely on Dr. Cooper’s expertise, and Dr. Cooper was one of the doctors that reviewed the images, where the Ravens then felt compelled to back out of this trade.”
Dr. Cooper, who can be seen wearing a cowboy hat on the sidelines at Cowboys games, has essentially become this generation’s Dr. James Andrews — the go-to physician for knee injuries. (Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed Crosby’s surgery, would dispute that.)
Dr. Cooper, whose involvement helps explain the Cowboys not re-engaging on trade talks, clearly knows his ass from a handful of sand. So this wasn’t a situation where a doctor went rogue — or where a doctor received a wink-nod because the Ravens were looking for a way out.
It’s still a complicated situation. Obviously, Crosby wouldn’t pass a physical based on whether he can practice or play today. The medical judgment entails a projection as to whether he’ll pass in the future.
That alone should have been a bright red flag regarding trade terms that were contingent on Crosby passing a physical. For the Ravens — who have never given up a first-round pick for a player — to give up the 14th overall pick in the 2026 draft and next year’s first-round selection, they need to be sure that they’ll get a return on the investment. Especially if Crosby and/or his agents expected a contract adjustment on the way through the door.
None of this means Crosby won’t be healthy by Week 1. He could be. And the situation in Baltimore could motivate him to have 20 sacks in 2026.
Regardless, the Ravens opted to be careful. They, per Schefter, sought multiple opinions. And they didn’t really “back out” of anything. They exercised their prerogative based on the medical judgments to not proceed with the transaction.
The biggest news of Tuesday night was that the Ravens have backed out of trading for Maxx Crosby and Wednesday’s major headlines is expected to include news on another top-flight pass rusher.
According to multiple reports, expectation around the league is that Trey Hendrickson will be making his decision about his next team on Wednesday. The Crosby trade falling apart could factor into that choice.
Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com reports that the Ravens have joined the Eagles and Colts in the mix for Hendrickson’s services. Albert Breer of SI.com adds the Cowboys to the list of teams keeping tabs on where things stand with Hendrickson and notes that the Ravens making a big push for Hendrickson would “bolster suspicions some teams have” that the Crosby decision was not solely based on the state of his surgically repaired knee.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported this week that there was a gap of around $10 million per year between what Hendrickson was looking for and the offers he was receiving since the negotiating window opened on Monday. The Crosby news may have helped close that gap by increasing the competition for his services and a fuller picture of how things are playing out could come in the near future.
The well-traveled Sam Howell will be traveling again.
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, the former Eagles backup quarterback has agreed to terms with the Cowboys.
A fifth-round pick of the Commanders in 2022, Howell was the full-year starter in 2023, leading the league in both attempts (612) and interceptions (21). He was traded to the Seahawks in 2024.
Last year, Seattle traded Howell to the Vikings. After the preseason, he was re-traded to the Eagles.
The current Cowboys understudy to Dak Prescott is Joe Milton III. The Howell arrival suggests that Will Grier won’t be back as the third quarterback. Or it could set up a potential trade of Milton, who is under contract through 2027.
The Cowboys are receiving calls about the availability of defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
The 49ers are one of the teams to call the Cowboys, per Harris.
San Francisco hired former Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as the assistant head coach of defense.
Odighizuwa signed a four-year, $80 million contract last offseason before the Cowboys traded for defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams. On Tuesday, they signed nose tackle Otito Ogbonnia.
Although the Cowboys restructured several deals, Odighizuwa’s contract was not touched.
He has a cap number of $20.75 million for this season.
The Cowboys were in on Maxx Crosby, before he was tentatively traded to the Ravens.
They’re now out.
Per multiple reports, the Cowboys won’t re-engage the Raiders for a possible trade for Crosby.
Via Jane Slater of NFL Media, an unnamed team source said “we’ve moved on with Rashan Gary.”
And while, yes, the Cowboys did indeed trade for the former Packers edge rusher, this is Maxx Crosby we’re talking about. All due respect to Rashan Gary, but it’s Maxx Freakin’ Crosby.
The Cowboys could be setting the stage to squeeze the Raiders, if they get desperate to move him, now that their best offer has evaporated like a puddle of piss in the Patagonian Desert.
For now, though, the Cowboys have officially moved on from a possible Maxx Crosby trade.
Now that Maxx Crosby will continue to be under contract with the Raiders, the most obvious question is this: What’s next?
Unless the experience of having the Ravens reject Crosby — and the Raiders’ aggressive moves in free agency — have caused him to fall back in love with the Raiders (we can’t rule out anything at this point), he’ll be back on the market. And the Raiders will necessarily have less leverage, now that the Ravens have said “psych!” as to a pair of first-round picks.
The Cowboys reportedly were willing to send a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a player to the Raiders for Crosby. Do the Cowboys become Plan B?
What about other teams? The Bears had been the betting favorite to land Crosby. Do they get involved?
And will Tom Brady revisit his reported position that there’s no way Crosby would be traded to the Patriots?
However it goes, it’s an unexpected mess. And it explains why the Raiders seem to be pissed off about the Ravens’ decision to not proceed with the trade.
