Packers Discussion: Should Tyrod Taylor or Kyle McCord be the backup QB?

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 13: Kyle McCord #18 of the Green Bay Packers warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Alright, I’m clearing the lane here so you guys can sound off on what you think about the Green Bay Packers’ backup quarterback job in 2026. It’s a bit of a lightning rod topic, so let’s just set the table and recap how we ended up in the position that we’re at right now.

Green Bay’s backup last year was Malik Willis, who signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins this offseason that should earn the Packers a third-round compensatory pick in 2027 . The practice squad quarterback last year was Clayton Tune, who was left for dead in the junior varsity game against the Minnesota Vikings to end the 2025 regular season and was later replaced by Desmond Ridder, who was signed on New Year’s Eve, in the playoffs.

After the Packers’ playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, the team signed both Ridder and Kyle McCord, a 2025 draft pick who spent his rookie season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad, to reserve/futures contracts (essentially the minimum deals that practice squadders usually receive).

Post-draft, Green Bay signed rookie Kyron Drones, who was cut after a Week 1 preseason performance where he dropped back four times and was sacked three times, including once on a screen. Three days after the Drones signing, Ridder was swapped out for veteran Tyrod Taylor, who is on a one-year, $2.5 million contract with another $2.5 million in (mostly unlikely to be earned) incentives for playing time, regular-season wins and a playoff berth with him under center.

If the Packers chose to release Taylor now, they’d be charged $700,000 on the salary cap this year, compared to his current cap hit of $2.9 million, according to Spotrac . If Taylor makes the roster in Week 1, though, as a vested veteran, then his $1.3 million base salary will be fully guaranteed for the year, meaning that Green Bay would be on the hook for it, whether or not they decide to cut Taylor at a later date. None of that salary was previously guaranteed, as the only guaranteed money in his deal came in the form of a $700,000 signing bonus.

Here’s the hitch: McCord has clearly outplayed Taylor in the preseason. We all have eyes. We all see it. Maybe Taylor is just having some bad throws in the preseason, and he looks better in practice, but it hasn’t looked good against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos.

Right now, McCord is currently sixth in the NFL this preseason in passing yards with 220. That list includes Carolina’s Kenny Pickett, who ranks ahead of McCord but also got to play in the Hall of Fame Game before Weeks 1 and 2 of the preseason.

Overall, McCord has gone 24 for 35 (69 percent) for 220 yards (6.3 yards per attempt) and orchestrated three two-minute drills at the end of first halves over two games. Yes, he did it twice in a single game (against Denver on Friday). He’s not making the most difficult wow throws imaginable, but he’s hitting out routes with timing and moving the chains while showing a little bravery and composure in the pocket.

Meanwhile, Taylor is 8 of 16 (50 percent) for 38 yards (2.4 yards per attempt) and has a long of seven yards over two games. Yes, he has 38 yards over 34 offensive snaps . The third-team offense has moved the ball noticeably better than the second-team offense, particularly in the air.

Passing game coordinator Jason Vrable, who was a coach in Buffalo when Taylor was a part of the team, said today that the 37-year-old still has the same arm strength that he had back in the day , but I’m not sure fans are convinced of that after watching some of the floating Taylor incompletions in Denver.

After McCord’s performance against the Broncos, it feels like the first time all summer that the backup quarterback job behind Jordan Love is potentially up for grabs. Hell, a week ago McCord was still battling Drones for the third quarterback job. Now, there’s a real chance that McCord might be the backup, depending on how the two perform against the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason finale.

For what it’s worth, head coach Matt LaFleur has stated that the plan this week is for the starters to get work in the team’s joint practice against the Cardinals, coached by LaFleur’s younger brother, while the preseason game will mostly be used to evaluate backups. So we’ll get a deeper look into both Taylor and McCord this upcoming week.

How are you feeling about the backup quarterback job right now, and what would you do? Roll with Taylor? Swap Taylor out with McCord? Buy a different veteran still on the street like Jimmy Garoppolo? Sound off in the comments section.

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Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →