Kyle McCord should fix one thing to stick in Green Bay
Kyle McCord should fix arm strength to raise his Green Bay Packers ceiling, analysts say, after the release of Kyron Drones left him as the clear No. 3 quarterback behind Jordan Love and Tyrod Taylor. His accuracy and pocket poise already stand out; velocity is the gap.
Key Takeaways
- Acme Packing Company argues Kyle McCord already does hard QB skills well but needs more raw arm talent.
- The Packers released undrafted rookie Kyron Drones, leaving McCord as the No. 3 option behind Jordan Love and Tyrod Taylor.
- McCord went 12-for-16 for 102 yards with no interceptions in the preseason opener at Pittsburgh and now aims to repeat that form in Denver.
- GM Brian Gutekunst praised McCord’s diligence and calm under messy preseason situations.
- Whether he lands on the 53-man roster or the practice squad remains unsettled.
What is the one thing Kyle McCord should fix?
According to Acme Packing Company’s Paul Noonan, the former Ohio State and Syracuse passer’s main gap is raw arm talent—not accuracy, pocket toughness, or decision-making. McCord throws with strong ball placement and steps up under pressure, but draft notes and tape evaluations still describe his velocity as merely solid or adequate.
Noonan ranks that arm roughly with Tua Tagovailoa and Brock Purdy on a 20/80-style scale, while noting McCord lacks Tua’s or Purdy’s lightning-fast release as a workaround. The fix he wants is modern velocity training—think weighted-ball style programs already common in baseball—because soft skills are harder to teach than a few extra miles per hour.
For Packers fans tracking depth-chart drama in our Streaming & TV Alerts hub, that framing matters: McCord looks like a competent backup today, with a clearer path to starter-caliber tools if arm strength climbs.
Why does Kyle McCord’s Packers path matter now?
Green Bay cut Kyron Drones on Aug. 15, trimming the quarterback room to three and making McCord the frontrunner for the third spot, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. That role often lands on the practice squad, but strong preseason tape can complicate waiver claims.
A sixth-round Philadelphia Eagles pick in 2025 who spent his rookie year on Philly’s practice squad, McCord signed with Green Bay on a reserve/future deal after the season and got a head start in Matt LaFleur’s offense. Official team coverage notes he studied Love’s aggressive downfield style while preparing the Eagles’ scout team for a mid-November Lambeau visit.
In Pittsburgh he completed four straight passes for 35 yards in the final 37–38 seconds of the first half, setting up a long Trey Smack field goal. He was also sacked twice—once for holding the ball too long—and later threw a practice interception to Kamal Hadden before bouncing back with a deep strike to J. Michael Sturdivant.
Can Kyle McCord repeat his Steelers showing in Denver?
That is the near-term test. Packers.com reported McCord is more motivated after Drones’ release, with extra practice reps and likely more snaps Friday in Denver. LaFleur said every quarterback must “repeat that performance each and every week,” calling the Broncos matchup a real opportunity.
McCord says the game is starting to slow down and that Love, Taylor, and quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy keep feeding him details even on good reps. Longer term, Taylor turns 37 and Green Bay could hunt a No. 2 behind Love in 2027—but McCord refuses to look past the next snap.
Bottom line: the Packers already like his preparation and accuracy. If he can add the arm juice Acme Packing Company flags—and stack another clean preseason outing—Kyle McCord’s “one thing” becomes the difference between a steady backup and a real developmental bet.