Grading the Dolphins Trade for QB Kyle McCord (Plus One Very Important Question)

The Miami Dolphins swung a second quarterback trade Sunday, or was it simply the second part of a two-part move?

In this latest trade, the Dolphins acquired second-year QB Kyle McCord from the Green Bay Packers for a 2028 sixth-round pick, which happened to be the exact pick the Dolphins got from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for QB Quinn Ewers on Saturday.

So, essentially, the Dolphins traded Quinn Ewers for Kyle McCord.

On the surface, it appears to be a very good deal for the Dolphins based on McCord's outstanding preseason showing, highlighted by his four-touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night.

But is it?

And does this move really answer the Dolphins' backup QB concerns?

Let's dive into it and hand out a grade for this move.

GRADING THE TRADE FOR KYLE McCORD

We'll start with the same factor we did in analyzing the Ewers trade, and that's the fact that the Dolphins basically got McCord for free — because a sixth-round pick in 2028 is basically a cup of coffee and a newspaper.

It's also a no-cost move for the Dolphins, with McCord set to make under $885,000, which is the minimum for players without an accrued NFL season.

So basically the Packers gave McCord away, just like the Dolphins gave Ewers away.

And this is where we need to look past how good McCord looked in the preseason because it was the preseason and there are bigger factors at play here.

For one, why would the Packers simply give up on McCord when their 2026 backup is 37-year-old Tyrod Taylor, who clearly is not a long-term answer.

If the Packers valued McCord enough, they easily could have justified keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster even if the plan wasn't for him to play at all this season.

And this is where we point out that the 2025 Dolphins were one of those teams that did have three quarterbacks on their 53 — and, no, that's not the reason their season went south.

We also need to point out that McCord now will be on his third team in two years after first joining the Philadelphia Eagles as a sixth-round pick in 2025. Like the Packers, the Eagles didn't think he was worthy of keeping on the 53 as a rookie to make sure they wouldn't lose him and the reality is he could have been poached at any time.

Remember, that's just what the Dolphins did with Cam Miller, who like McCord was a 2025 sixth-round pick who failed to make the Raiders' 53-man roster.

The big difference there, of course, is that McCord lit it up this preseason.

Except it's preseason.

McCord finished first in the NFL with his four TD passes and second with his 446 passing yards in the preseason, and that's great.

But this is where we need to point out that leaders in those categories in recent years have included Trey Lance, Stetson Bennett, Jack Plummer, Will Grier, Kyle Trask, Trace McSorley, Easton Stick and Anthony Brown.

How many of those would qualify as quality dependable backups?

Exactly.

This isn't to suggest that McCord can't become that player, but it's not like there's much of a body of work.

It's also why we'd have a problem if the Dolphins were to assume they automatically found their guy based on what they saw in Green Bay this summer, the feedback they got from senior passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo based on his work with McCord in Philly last year, or maybe the feedback Jeff Hafley got from his connections at Ohio State, where Hafley once coached and McCord played before transferring to Syracuse.

By definition, McCord projects as a better long-term prospect than Ewers because he was selected earlier in the same draft, but it's not like there's a major difference between a sixth- or a seventh-round pick (unless that sixth-round pick is Tom Brady, of course).

The bottom line is the trade itself was a winner for the Dolphins because they gave up nothing to take a look at a young quarterback who could be an upgrade. It's an A grade from that standpoint.

But in terms of answering the question at backup quarterback, sorry, but we couldn't even say right now that McCord represents such a big upgrade — if any upgrade at all — over Ewers.

Again, if McCord was a slam dunk to become a good backup in the NFL, the Packers would have kept him because that would have been more valuable than saving a roster spot for an extra DB who will be inactive most Sundays.

So in terms of solving the backup QB issue, we're thinking there's still work to be done.

But since this grade is strictly about getting McCord basically for nothing, we'll go ahead and give it an A.

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