MIAMI GARDENS — New Miami Dolphins quarterback Kyle McCord is experiencing the whirlwind of settling in with one NFL team, finding success in the preseason and then getting shipped to a new squad. But his preseason performance for the Green Bay Packers, completing 46 of 70 passes for 446 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 102.4 passer rating, helped him get a bump up with the Miami Dolphins. In Miami, he is now the No. 2 quarterback, behind Malik Willis, and as he quickly gets acclimated, he is always one snap away from getting inserted into game action as the Dolphins open the season Sept. 13 at the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s Willis himself, who made the same transition early in the offseason from Green Bay, where he was also with new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley, who is helping ease McCord’s shift. “It’s been crazy, for sure,” McCord said at his new locker following the Dolphins’ Wednesday practice, his second with the team. “Obviously, my first time going through it, but everybody here has made the transition as easy as possible. Being in the room with Malik, obviously, has helped a lot, given that he was in the same spot I was, that I’m coming from, and kind of being the translator for the offense and putting in terms that I’m familiar with. It’s been about as smooth of a transition as it could be.” The Packers are known for developing quarterbacks even as they have their franchise player at the position in place. When they have a surplus, they can afford to send one out to a quarterback-needy team, which was Miami after Quinn Ewers didn’t work out as Willis’ backup, for a draft pick. Sullivan sent the Packers the same pick he acquired in shipping Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars a day earlier. “Getting coached up really well by the staff up in Green Bay and almost developing as a pro quarterback up in Green Bay,” McCord said of his experience there after spending his rookie season with the Philadelphia Eagles. “Going up there is probably the best thing that happened for his career early on, and I would say the same. And now just using what we’ve been coached to do up there.” It helps that what the Dolphins offense will run under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is similar to what the Packers do under coach Matt LaFleur. Related Articles
Chris Perkins: Dolphins’ Zeek Biggers is symbolic of the rebuild in a couple of ways Dolphins GM feels rookie Kadyn Proctor is adjusting to guard in NFL; Miami to face QB Kirk Cousins in opener Chris Perkins: Dolphins’ defense has high hopes, but will need young players to step up Five Miami Dolphins players to watch during the 2026 season Dolphins’ Jordyn Brooks embraces underdog mentality: ‘Us against the world’
“In terms of concepts, it’s pretty much all the same stuff,” McCord said. “Some of them are the same terminology, some of them are different. Formations and motions, just trying to pick that up as quick as possible. But yeah, it’s not nearly as bad as I thought it would be just with all the similarity there is.” Spending his first season with the Eagles, McCord had new Dolphins passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator there. So, it’s not only Willis who can explain Miami’s offense to him in terms he can understand. “As soon as I got the call that I was coming here, that was one of the first things that I thought of, is that KP’s down here,” McCord said. “Having a familiar face on the coaching staff is huge. Similar to Malik, with some of the stuff that we have in translating into the offense last year in Philly has definitely helped. I’m excited. I think the world of him as a coach, and so being able to link back up with him down here is pretty special.” McCord showed, ahead of his second season out of Syracuse, he’s a good processor behind center and throws with accuracy in the pocket. The Packers had Jordan Love primed to start, with Tyrod Taylor backing him up, so Green Bay would’ve had to use a roster spot on a third quarterback to keep him around, while Miami was willing to make him a No. 2 option. The college-pro football South Florida crossover fan base of the Miami Hurricanes and the Dolphins remember McCord from leading an upset over UM in the 2024 season finale, which kept the Hurricanes out of the College Football Playoff. McCord called it the favorite game of his college career, and he now hopes to make it up to those who are fans of both. “Now hoping to make those same fans happy instead of upset,” he said. The new Dolphins quarterback also makes one of the greatest climate shifts going from Green Bay to South Florida. “I think the summers in Green Bay are probably more my speed, but then, once the cold comes, definitely Miami,” McCord said. “I remember I went up to go sign there last winter, and I got off the plane. It was negative-10 degrees. So, I won’t have that problem down here, but both are great places, about as different as you can get from each other.” If McCord were needed early on this season, shortly after arriving, he expressed confidence in putting together a formidable performance. “I feel like I’m picking the offense up pretty quickly,” he said. “I feel like I’m ahead of schedule right now, just being down here for a few days.”