Examining the Dolphins Trend with Backup QBs (And Why McCord Makes Sense)

There was a time when the Miami Dolphins always had a veteran to serve as backup quarterback, but those days are gone.

And when it comes to the 2026 version of the franchise, where finding and developing players for the future will be just as important as wins and losses, it actually makes sense to go with the young quarterback with the bigger upside as the backup to Malik Willis.

That, of course, would be Kyle McCord, who the Dolphins acquired in a trade with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Head coach Jeff Hafley confirmed before practice Tuesday that McCord was acquired to the No. 2 quarterback, ahead of former New York Jets backup and waiver pick-up Brady Cook.

A 2025 sixth-round pick of the Eagles, McCord has yet to play an NFL regular season game, while Cook played five games with four starters for the Jets as a rookie free agent last year.

"I think we (acquired) McCord to be the backup," Hafley said. "I thought he had a really good training camp. I also know Cook is not just going to go away. I mean, he's played in the league, played against him in college. I have a lot of respect for him, and I'm glad he's on our team as well."

Out in Green Bay, GM Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday that he had no had any trade conversations with his former assistant, Jon-Eric Sullivan, before the Packers' preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals when McCord put the capper on a good preseason by throwing four touchdown passes.

Gutekunst explained the dynamics of the trade, which saw the Dolphins send the 2028 sixth-round pick they got from Jacksonville in exchange for fellow QB Quinn Ewers, and the decision to move McCord instead of keeping a third quarterback on the 53-man roster along with starter Jordan Love and backup Tyrod Taylor.

"We were obviously contemplating, do we keep three?" Gutekunst said. "Do we try to get him to the practice squad? What's the likelihood of that? When somebody calls you up and starts offering you, talking about a trade, I think the likelihood of you getting him to the practice squad, it's probably not strong."

CONTINUING A TREND

If McCord ends up playing in the regular season for the Dolphins, it'll mark the second consecutive year and the third time in five years they had a rookie backup quarterback see action.

Ewers, of course, got the call last year after he came in a seventh-round pick and supplanted former second overall pick Zach Wilson, and Skylar Thompson played in 2022 after backup Teddy Bridgewater was knocked of his first start after one play after a concussion spotter took him out of the game.

In the 2010s, the Dolphins always had themselves a veteran backup, most notably Matt Moore with Brock Osweiler coming in for the 2018 season and then Ryan Fitzpatrick entering training camp with the outlook he'd back up trade acquisition Josh Rosen (one year removed from being the 10th overall pick) until it became in camp that Fitzpatrick was the much better quarterback and he ended up being the opening-day starter.

In the early stages of Tua's days as starting quarterback, the Dolphins started off with Fitzpatrick, and then Jacoby Brissett and Teddy Bridgewater.

The Dolphins had Thompson and Mike White as the backups to Tua in 2024 and ended up paying the price for having a better option in a year when they had high aspirations and expectations coming off their 2023 performance.

Things are much different in 2026 obviously, so having a developmental player makes sense for them, the way it wouldn't for a championship-caliber team.

If McCord does have to play in 2026, that can only benefit the Dolphins in the future. And that's kind of where the focus is.

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