The Packers’ backup quarterback spot has turned into one of the more interesting battles on the roster, and the latest preseason action has only sharpened the debate between Tyrod Taylor and Kyle McCord.
A few months ago, Green Bay’s QB depth chart looked a lot different. Malik Willis handled the backup role last season before leaving for the Miami Dolphins on a three-year, $67.5 million deal this offseason, a move that should bring the Packers a third-round compensatory pick in 2027. Behind him, Clayton Tune was the practice squad option until he was replaced by Desmond Ridder, who arrived on New Year’s Eve, for the playoffs after Tune was left for dead in the junior varsity game against the Minnesota Vikings to end the 2025 regular season.
After the playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, Green Bay signed both Ridder and Kyle McCord to reserve/futures contracts. McCord, a 2025 draft pick, spent his rookie year on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad.
Then came another round of shuffling: the Packers added rookie Kyron Drones after the draft, but he was cut following a Week 1 preseason outing in which he dropped back four times and was sacked three times, including once on a screen. Three days after that, Ridder was replaced by veteran Tyrod Taylor, who signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with another $2.5 million in incentives tied to playing time, regular-season wins and a playoff berth with him under center.
That deal matters, too. If Green Bay cuts Taylor now, the cap charge would be $700,000 this year instead of his current $2.9 million hit, according to Spotrac.
But if he’s on the Week 1 roster as a vested veteran, his $1.3 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed, which would leave the Packers on the hook for it even if they moved on later. The only guaranteed money in the contract is the $700,000 signing bonus.
On the field, though, McCord has made this a real conversation.
He has clearly been the better quarterback in preseason games, and the numbers back that up. McCord is sixth in the NFL this preseason with 220 passing yards, even though Carolina’s Kenny Pickett is ahead of him and also got the benefit of the Hall of Fame Game before Weeks 1 and 2.
McCord has completed 24 of 35 passes for 220 yards, good for 69 percent and 6.3 yards per attempt, while also leading three two-minute drills at the end of first halves over two games. He even did it twice in one game against Denver on Friday.
He’s not uncorking a highlight reel every drive, but he’s been steady. The timing throws are there, the chains are moving, and he’s shown enough poise in the pocket to make the offense look functional.
Taylor’s preseason has gone the other way. Through two games, he’s 8 of 16 for 38 yards, a 50 percent completion rate and just 2.4 yards per attempt, with a long gain of seven yards.
That works out to 38 yards on 34 offensive snaps. The third-team offense has moved the ball much better than the second-team offense, especially through the air.
Passing game coordinator Jason Vrable, who coached Taylor in Buffalo, said today that the 37-year-old still has the same arm strength he had back in the day. Even so, the tape against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos hasn’t exactly calmed concerns, and some of Taylor’s floating incompletions in Denver left plenty of fans unconvinced.
For now, McCord’s performance has opened the door on a job that looked settled not long ago. A week ago, he was still fighting Drones for the third quarterback role. Now there’s a legitimate chance he could leap Taylor for the backup job behind Jordan Love, depending on how both quarterbacks look against the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason finale.
Matt LaFleur said the starters will get their work in this week’s joint practice against the Cardinals, who are coached by LaFleur’s younger brother, while the preseason game itself will mostly be about evaluating the backups. That should give Green Bay a clearer answer soon on whether Taylor holds the job or McCord keeps forcing the issue.
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