Will Grier had quite the season debut Saturday.

Grier completed better than 70 percent of his pass attempts, and tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason opener. The former Mountaineer completed a total of 22 passes for 199 yards.

“I competed, tried to win. Didn’t come up with a win, which is disappointing,” Grier told reporters following the 28-23 loss. “Overall, I think it’s a good step in the right direction.”

Grier didn’t start the contest, but played the majority of the game for the Cowboys offense. He threw his first touchdown pass late in the first half to get Dallas on the board. He then led his team on two touchdown-scoring drives in the fourth quarter.

“Fourth down, it’s got to have it. And it’s really just a feel thing,” Grier said when asked about his fourth-down touchdown pass with 2:16 to play. “I stepped up and try to move a guy with my eyes, and hit a pretty big target there.”

Grier, the 2019 third-round pick, has only appeared in two NFL regular-season games in his career, and none since his rookie season.

He has played in multiple preseason games, and was Dallas’ backup quarterback for several weeks last season while starter Dak Prescot was sidelined with a thumb injury.

With limited in-game experience since being drafted four years ago, games like Saturday are important for his development.

“I need every rep I can get. That’s the tough part about being a backup quarterback in this league, is you just don’t get a ton of reps,” said Grier. “I love it. I want to play as much as possible, obviously. So, that was fun today. It’s the longest I’ve played in a preseason game, I think ever. And it was fun.”