Packers face tricky backup QB decision as old connection threatens to complicate Kyle McCord’s future
McCord has outplayed Tyrod Taylor in the preseason, so general manager Brian Gutekunst will have an interesting call to make ahead of the regular season.
The Green Bay Packers have an intriguing layer to their backup quarterback competition that could force general manager Brian Gutekunst’s hand before final roster cuts. Jordan Love is the franchise quarterback, and there is nothing to question or doubt about that. But that doesn’t mean the Packers don’t have a compelling decision to make over the next few days.
McCord’s preseason case
Green Bay signed Tyrod Taylor to a one-year, $2.5 million deal this offseason to replace Malik Willis as Love’s backup. The veteran brings starting experience and a certain level of comfort the Packers value. The reality, though, is that second-year quarterback Kyle McCord has outplayed Taylor during the preseason.
McCord, a former sixth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles whom the Packers signed in January on a future deal, is the younger quarterback and probably has a higher ceiling than Taylor at this point. He completed 68.6% of his passes, with an 85.4 passer rating and a 75.8 PFF passing grade. Meanwhile, Taylor completed 50% of his throws, with a 77.1 passer rating, and a 46.7 PFF passing grade. At this point, the third-stringer has been impressive enough to make this a genuine roster conversation.
There’s another layer the Packers must consider before deciding whether to waive McCord or try to stash him on the practice squad, though. The Miami Dolphins need a backup quarterback behind Willis, as Quinn Ewers, Cam Miller, and Mark Gronowski have had rough preseason outings. Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is a former Packers executive, and he was ultimately part of the process to scout McCord in Green Bay.
If the Packers waive McCord at final roster cuts, there’s a reasonable chance Miami claims him off waivers to serve as Willis’ backup. At that point, Green Bay would lose McCord entirely and wouldn’t have a third-string quarterback behind Love and Taylor. The Packers already released undrafted rookie Kyron Drones, who was the fourth quarterback on the roster, so they would need to find other options on the market just to fill a practice squad spot.
Two paths forward
The Packers have two realistic options if they want to keep McCord around. The first would be carrying three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster to start the season. Given how McCord has played, that would be reasonable. It costs a roster spot, but it eliminates the waiver risk entirely, and would allow the Packers to have McCord as the emergency quarterback on gameday.
The second option is more aggressive. Green Bay could release Taylor, create some cap space, and hand McCord the backup role outright. Taylor’s $700,000 signing bonus would remain on the books, but the rest of his salary would come off. McCord is a minimum-salary player given his career experience ($885,000), so the financial commitment would be minimal. If Taylor is on the roster by Week 1, his $1.3 million base would become fully guaranteed as well because he’s a vested veteran.
If the Packers waive McCord and try to sneak him through to the practice squad, the odds of losing him are real. Young quarterbacks who show in the preseason that they can play tend to generate attention around the league. McCord fits that profile, and the Dolphins’ front office already knows what he can do from their time scouting him. And that, obviously, is not even considering what other teams around the NFL think of McCord and what he’s done in the preseason so far.
This week, the Packers have a joint practice and the preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals. What Kyle McCord does in these games would be huge to determine Gutekunst’s final decision ahead of the regular season.
