After moving Kyle McCord ahead of Sunday’s roster cut deadline, the Packers have settled on their third quarterback to open the 2026 season, and it’s the man McCord beat out in last Friday’s preseason finale.
Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said in his Tuesday press conference that the team plans to sign former Cardinals quarterback Kedon Slovis to the practice squad, slotting him in as QB3 behind Jordan Love and Tyrod Taylor.
Slovis had a mixed night in that preseason finale. He threw for 223 yards and a touchdown against the Packers’ deep backups, finishing 21 of 35 through the air, but he also gave the ball away twice.
Both interceptions came on short throws to Packers backup edge rushers Nyjalik Kelly and Arron Mosby. Mosby’s pick proved especially costly, coming right after the two-minute warning and setting up McCord and the Packers offense for a go-ahead touchdown drive in a 42-38 win.
Across Arizona’s four preseason games, including the Hall of Fame Game, Slovis finished 39-for-61 for 434 yards, two touchdowns and those two interceptions. That yardage total ranked third among all NFL passers in the preseason, trailing Baltimore’s Joe Fagnano, who had 509, and McCord, who had 446.
The move continues a winding pro path for Slovis, who went undrafted in 2024 and signed with the Colts as a free agent. Indianapolis let him go at final cuts that preseason, and he spent his rookie year on Houston’s practice squad.
The Texans cut him at this point last year, and the Cardinals picked him up to start 2025 before promoting him to the active roster in October after Kyler Murray was injured. Slovis appeared in two games and completed one of his two passes for minus-2 yards.
His college career was just as layered. Slovis began at USC and started as a true freshman in 2019, then was injured as a junior before getting pushed into a quarterback battle with Jaxson Dart during the 2021 season.
Both transferred after that year, with Dart heading to Ole Miss and Slovis moving to Pittsburgh. He started 11 games for Pitt in 2022 before transferring again for a fifth and final college season at BYU in 2023.
What makes Slovis appealing to Green Bay is not just the arm history, but the mobility. At the 2024 Combine, he ran a 4.55 in the 40 with a 1.57-second 10-yard split. Both marks are above the 96th percentile for quarterbacks, according to RAS, which gives him value as a developmental option and as a scout-team quarterback who can help the Packers’ defense prepare for athletic quarterbacks.
Barring a problem on his physical, the signing should be wrapped up when Tuesday’s transactions are formally filed this afternoon.
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