For the first time in a few years, the Green Bay Packers have a proper question mark at backup quarterback. That question mark could devolve into a full-blown competition depending on how Week 2 of the preseason goes.
Last week, during the Packers' 28-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 of the preseason, they got their first glimpse of life without Malik Willis backing up Jordan Love. Suffice it to say, it wasn't very pretty. Veteran backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who is the presumptive No. 2 quarterback on the roster, didn't play much, but finished with just 21 passing yards and couldn't do much with the backup offense.
On the flip side, third-string quarterback Kyle McCord impressed in the stat department, but also failed to really move the ball much. With Week 2 of the preseason coming up and the Packers' backups likely preparing to play a much larger role against the Denver Broncos, it's not impossible to think this could be more of a competition for Jordan Love's backup than we think.
Packers' backup quarterbacks will get tons of time to shine in preseason
Matt LaFleur hinted at Love playing a couple of series against the Broncos, but then it's over to the backups.
With two more preseason games to play against the Broncos and Cardinals, and with the Packers having cut undrafted rookie quarterback Kyron Drones this week, only Taylor and McCord are likely to play. The likeliest outcome is seeing both of them split halves in each game, allowing both to get two full quarters to showcase their skills and make their proverbial case to be the backup.
At face value, Taylor does seem to have the obvious case for being the backup. Not only has he played in genuine NFL games before, but he was signed by the Packers following the draft for what seemed like solid backup money.
On paper, he has everything you're looking for in a backup quarterback, but the play eventually does have to match the resume for it to make sense. Taylor, 37, is getting older in terms of quarterback age, and even giving him the benefit of the doubt last week, he didn't look his sharpest against the Steelers.
McCord, on the other hand, looked incredibly poised for his experience and age. After spending all of 2025 with the Philadelphia Eagles on their practice squad, he signed a futures contract with the Packers in January. According to those attending and watching the Packers' training camp practices, McCord has also been turning heads, and his play in the preseason game backed it up.
Of course, there's still a ton of preseason time left. A lot of what makes a quarterback a quarterback happens off the field, and the Packers may genuinely like and value what Taylor brings to the group – and Love's preparation, specifically – more than anything.
McCord's Week 1 preseason performance also isn't something that will instantly leapfrog him on the depth chart. If he continues to outplay Taylor in the coming weeks, though, it might be time to have the conversation about who the backup quarterback on the team is.
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