The Green Bay Packers have enjoyed rare stability at quarterback for more than three decades, first with Brett Favre and then Aaron Rodgers before handing the job to Jordan Love. That continuity at the top of the depth chart has not spared the organization from harder choices further down the roster this offseason.
The decision to trade Kyle McCord to the Miami Dolphins and replace him as the third quarterback with Kedon Slovis, for example, has drawn particular scrutiny from those who cover the team closely.
Bill Huber of ON SI argued that Green Bay made the correct call in retaining veteran Tyrod Taylor as Love’s primary backup rather than chasing a younger alternative such as Will Levis. But Huber was far less charitable about the McCord trade itself.
He wrote that the Packers should have found a way to keep the young quarterback on the 53-man roster instead of moving him.
“Good quarterbacks are hard to find. Heck, quarterbacks who might become good quarterbacks are hard to find. Keeping McCord, obviously, would have necessitated another difficult decision,” Huber wrote. “Should the Packers have released their 10th offensive lineman, such as Travis Glover?”
“Their seventh defensive tackle, such as Anthony Campbell? Trading McCord, from a short-term perspective, might have been the right move, especially for a team that’s focused on winning now. From a longer-term perspective, though, it’s a mistake that could come back to bite them at this time next year.”
General manager Brian Gutekunst has been open about the thinking that produced the trade. He wanted to load the initial roster with interior players on both sides of the ball, particularly early in the season when injuries tend to accumulate along the line. That priority left little room for a third quarterback.
Cutting McCord and hoping he cleared waivers for a return to the practice squad was considered, but a call from Miami made that outcome look unlikely.
The choice to keep Taylor, who turns 37 this season, also meant passing on Levis after the Titans made the former second-round pick available.
Green Bay had already shown it could develop a similar profile when it acquired Malik Willis from Tennessee and turned him into one of the league’s more effective backup quarterbacks. Levis still has a year left on his rookie contract and possesses the arm talent and mobility that often appeal to the Packers.
Whether that missed opportunity compounds the McCord decision remains to be seen. For now the organization is betting that Love stays healthy, Taylor provides veteran insurance, and Slovis can grow into a longer-term developmental piece.
Huber’s warning is that the next injury or unexpected opening could arrive before that plan fully takes shape.
That McCord has become such a central figure lately is surprising, but clearly, Packers fans think the team may have made a mistake.
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