The New England Patriots backup quarterback’s job has been thrown around more than the quarterback himself.
The New England Patriots have added Bengals backup quarterback Will Grier to their 53-man roster, according to multiple reports.
Grier’s deal comes after a whirlwind offseason of quarterback trades with New England.
At the end of the preseason, the Patriots surprisingly cut back-up quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham.
For a short time, Mac Jones was the only quarterback on the Patriots’ active roster.
The Patriots signed 2022 third-round pick Matt Corral to the 53-man roster after the former Ole Miss star was released to the Panthers.
Shortly after, Corral was placed on the exempt list for unknown reasons, leaving Zappe with an opening.
The Patriots temporarily added former Notre Dame standout and fourth-round pick Ian Book to their practice squad before waiving Corral.
New England reportedly intended to bring Corral back, but ultimately signed Grier.
Zappe will remain No. 2 behind Jones.
Grier, currently in his fifth season, has bounced around the NFL after starring at West Virginia University.
The 28-year-old was selected by the Panthers with the 100th overall pick in 2019.
In 2019, he played in two regular season games with the Panthers, completing 28 of 52 passes for 228 yards and four interceptions.
After two seasons in Carolina, he played as a third-string quarterback for Dak Prescott with the Dallas Cowboys, but until this preseason he was considered expendable in the trade for Trey Lance.
Grier was then signed to the Bengals’ practice squad and remained in Cincinnati until the Patriots added him to their 53-man roster.
He is currently under contract with the Patriots.
The undefeated Patriots will face the Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
