A few days ago, I tried with all my might to make the case for why each of Tyrod Taylor and Kyle McCord are worthy of being the Green Bay Packers QB2. Dear reader, there was a reason that article was like 300 words long. With one preseason game left for the Packers, the team will soon have to decide who they want stepping in if they find themselves without Jordan Love. Here’s what’s wrong with both of their candidates.
The Case Against Tyrod Taylor
A career journeyman, Taylor has spent time with 8 different teams since being drafted in 2011. The experience is there, but the ride has been bumpy. Taylor has started 63 career games, but has just one playoff start to show for it, way back in 2017 with the Buffalo Bills. AKA: When Tyrod is your long-term starter, your season is probably lost. To be fair—this can be said about most backup quarterbacks, and some starters!
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There’s a reason Taylor has lasted 15 years in the NFL. He’s been pretty serviceable, and has been somewhat of a dual threat with his legs over the years. The problem is, I’m worried he doesn’t have it in him anymore. Through two preseason games, the 37-year-old has completed 8 of 16 passes for 38 yards and 1 TD, and has rushed 3 times for 11 yards. Yes, this is preseason, and head coach Matt LaFleur isn’t pulling all of his regular season tricks out of the bag just yet, but I’m having a hard time envisioning a potential Taylor start going as well as what we saw with Malik Willis.
The Case Against Kyle McCord
And then we have…the baby! Kyle McCord has seen zero regular season action as an NFL player since being drafted in 2025 by the Philadelphia Eagles. So, we don’t exactly know what we’re working with, outside of what we’ve seen this preseason. Through two games, McCord has 24 completions on 35 attempts for 220 yards. He’s not considered much of a threat on his legs, which is a stark shift from one of the things that made Malik Willis so fun for Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. Now, I’m not here to judge a quarterback by his lack of explosiveness in the run game, but I can’t really judge Kyle McCord by much, can I? Therein lies the problem.
The Verdict
Personally, I think McCord gets cut, simply due to inexperience. There’s something there that should keep him on the practice squad, unless something uncouth happens during Friday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. I think the Packers are looking for a guy who can lead a locker room if needed, and we’ve seen that Tyrod Taylor can at least do that. One thing is for sure: the Packers backup in 2026 is going to be either a guy who was drafted 180th overall 15 years ago, or a guy who was drafted 181st overall 1 year ago. Buckle up. The team’s final preseason game is at home against Mike LaFleur and the Arizona Cardinals on Friday at 7 PM local time.
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