The Miami Dolphins acquired quarterback Kyle McCord from the Green Bay Packers for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick on Sunday. The move follows a flurry of roster moves that saw Quinn Ewers traded to Jacksonville and both Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski waived, leaving McCord as the primary backup to Malik Willis.
The Miami Dolphins reshaped their quarterback room over the weekend as the team trimmed its roster to the initial 53 players. Following a series of departures that left starting quarterback Malik Willis as the only signal-caller on the active roster, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan struck a deal with his former team in Green Bay.
Miami agreed to send a 2028 sixth-round draft pick to the Packers in exchange for McCord. The selection going to Green Bay is the exact same draft asset the Dolphins acquired a day earlier from the Jacksonville Jaguars in the trade involving Quinn Ewers.
Roster Overhaul Leads to Green Bay Pipeline
The quarterback shuffle began on Saturday when Miami traded Quinn Ewers to the Jaguars. Ewers had struggled through training camp while dealing with injuries, including a right groin ailment suffered during the preseason opener against the Washington Commanders.
Neither third-stringer Cam Miller nor fourth-stringer Mark Gronowski seized the opportunity behind Ewers, leading to the team waiving both players on Sunday. As head coach Jeff Hafley noted, the Dolphins intend to keep only two quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster, though Gronowski is expected to join the practice squad if he clears waivers.
The acquisition of McCord highlights the growing influence of former Green Bay Packers personnel in Miami. The deal marks the first trade between Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and his former boss, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst. Sullivan served as Green Bay’s vice president of player personnel from 2022 to 2025.
Preseason Performance and Draft Background
McCord arrives in South Beach after putting together a strong preseason campaign with Green Bay. Over three exhibition games, McCord completed 46 of 70 passes for 446 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions, earning a 102.4 passer rating. All four of those scoring tosses came during a 42-38 victory over Arizona.
“He did a heck of a job. He was just so poised in his ability to operate and function. He definitely has the demeanor, no doubt about it. He’s in total control out there, and he’s willing to stand in the pocket, deliver in the face of pressure. Yeah, I thought he did an outstanding job.”
Matt LaFleur, Packers Head Coach
Originally selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Syracuse, McCord spent his rookie season on Philadelphia’s practice squad before signing a futures contract with Green Bay in January. His pre-draft evaluation by NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein described him as a good backup with the potential to develop into a starter who plays with solid fundamentals and adequate poise against pressure.
Establishing the Depth Behind Malik Willis
Miami secured its long-term outlook at the position when the team signed Malik Willis in the offseason to a three-year, $67.5 million contract. With Willis entrenched as the starter, McCord steps in to provide immediate depth without requiring Miami to navigate the unpredictable waiver wire.
Though McCord joins his new team with zero practice or preseason reps in a Dolphins uniform, NFL Network analyst Mike Garafolo pointed out that the move reunites the young quarterback with senior passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo. Patullo served as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles during McCord’s rookie season in 2025.
McCord was the seventh of 13 quarterbacks drafted in 2025, coming off a 2024 college season at Syracuse where he led the nation in passing yards with 4,779 and threw 34 touchdowns. His collegiate career ended with a comeback upset victory over the University of Miami that kept the Hurricanes out of the College Football Playoff in the regular season’s final week, after he previously started at Ohio State in 2023 succeeding C.J. Stroud.
