Former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is trying his best to replicate what he saw in Wisconsin now that he is the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, bringing in a second quarterback who used to back up Jordan Love. This time, it's Kyle McCord.
The Dolphins traded a 2028 sixth-round pick (the very same pick they acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Quinn Ewers trade) to the Packers in exchange for McCord. Considering that Green Bay is comfortable with Tyrod Taylor as the No. 2 behind Love, getting an asset for a player who was likely not going to be active on game days is a win for Brian Gutekunst.
With the Dolphins' quarterback room consisting of two former Packers in McCord and Malik Willis, Hafley and former Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan need to avoid the pitfall many new regimes fall into. They can't get too caught up in trying to make this team the Miami Packers.
Dolphins continue mimicking Packers with Kyle McCord trade
McCord's polarizing college career at Ohio State led to a transfer to Syracuse, where he eventually played well enough to earn a selection in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. McCord was quickly cut, and he eventually found his way to Green Bay.
McCord's sparkling preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals may have been what convinced Miami to take this plunge, as he threw four touchdowns and appeared to be in complete command of the offense.
While this could be a sign that he has improved his decision-making, there is an equally valid future in which this performance is fool's gold.
Kyle McCord will join former Packers QB Malik Willis in Miami
Willis has shown flashes in Green Bay, but the last time he got an extended run as a no-doubt starter was in Tennessee, and he looked unplayable. If Willis' stats were the result of the Matt LaFleur bump, Hafley's desire to remake what he had in Green Bay could come back to bite him.
While Hafley and Sullivan haven't gone too over the top with populating their Miami roster with ex-Packers players, they have gone all-in on a former green and gold quarterback room.
Green Bay will move forward with Love and Taylor as the gameday quarterbacks and another developmental dart throw behind them in the QB3 spot. Miami is one bad Willis play away from McCord possibly starting games, which could show them that putting up numbers in August doesn't always translate to the fall.
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