GREEN BAY – With his in-house competition for the Packers' No. 3 quarterback job gone, the last thing Kyle McCord is about to do is relax.
In fact, the former Eagles draft pick says he's even more motivated to make the most of this chance in Green Bay now that he's getting more practice reps, and likely more game snaps Friday in Denver.
As McCord looks to build on his impressive preseason showing last week in Pittsburgh, he's just focused on staying in the moment and not looking too far ahead.
"One thing about the NFL is you really never know what's going to happen next," McCord said earlier this week following fellow QB Kyron Drones' release, which left him as the Packers' third QB behind Jordan Love and Tyrod Taylor.
"Obviously getting drafted to Philly last year, you think you're going to spend four years there and then, boom, end up in Green Bay a year later. I think the thing is to continue to put your head down and keep working, and that ultimately leads you to success and puts you exactly where you need to be."
A year ago he never envisioned that would be here. A sixth-round pick, McCord didn't make the Eagles' 53-man roster and spent his rookie season on their practice squad.
The Packers inquired after both teams' seasons ended and were able to sign him in late January, in part due to his interest in coming to Green Bay.
McCord was attracted to Head Coach Matt LaFleur's track record for developing quarterbacks, and he was intrigued by the Packers' offense, which he studied on film last year while preparing to emulate Love on the scout team before Philly's mid-November visit to Lambeau Field.
"Love the way Jordan plays, super aggressive, pushing the ball down the field," McCord said. "That just was a green light in my eyes for me, and I thought it'd be a great situation for me to walk into."
Since then he's immersed himself in the playbook and shown steady growth, culminating (for now) in his 12-for-16 outing against the Steelers for 102 yards. That included four straight completions worth 35 yards in the final 37 seconds of the first half to get the offense in position for a long field goal.
Managing the hectic nature of that hurry-up situation goes hand in hand with keeping track of all the players coming in and out of a preseason huddle. Some of them McCord has worked with a lot in practice, others not so much. But it's all part of the deal and his steadiness with it was evident in Pittsburgh.
"Kyle is really diligent. He's really smart," GM Brian Gutekunst said. "He's very consistent day in and day out as far as his preparation. To see him calm and be able to handle the different situations that he did was good to see."
It hasn't been all sunshine and roses. The Steelers sacked McCord twice, with him probably holding the ball too long on one of them. Then Wednesday in practice, he was intercepted by Kamal Hadden on an overthrown play-action rollout pass.
But he responded to that miscue by hitting J. Michael Sturdivant on a deep over route, putting the downfield throw right where it needed to be. It also was Sturdivant, an undrafted rookie from Florida, on the receiving end of what McCord called his best play in Pittsburgh.
It came on third-and-6 just across midfield, with the Steelers' defense showing blitz.
"I checked to a protection, they were going to bring cover zero it looked like, and then they checked out of it and ended up dropping nine guys (into coverage)," McCord recalled. "I was able to come back and hit my third read, J-Mike on the dig, to move the chains.
"So I would say that was probably my favorite play, just being in control of the offense, checking it, and then reacting to what the defense does, getting all the way through the progression."
Facing the array of pressure looks new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon throws at the offense in practice has provided helpful training in that regard. McCord referred to some of Gannon's scheming as "welcome to the NFL" moments for young quarterbacks, as the pre-snap read will indicate "there's no way" a certain defender is blitzing, and then all of a sudden here he comes.
But he's rolling with it day by day. He's also keeping his ears open in every quarterback meeting to soak up any knowledge he can from Love, Taylor and QB coach Luke Getsy, whom McCord says always feeds him something to learn, even on his best reps.
Now it's time to show progress again in the second preseason game, to prove Pittsburgh wasn't just some random good day.
"You've got to repeat that performance each and every week, whether you're a rookie or a vet, it doesn't matter," LaFleur said. "I'm excited for his opportunity against a really good team in Denver."
Whether there's a spot for a third QB on the 53-man roster, or if the Packers will try to get McCord through waivers and onto the practice squad, remains to be seen.
McCord could make the latter more difficult with another noteworthy preseason performance. Longer-term, with Taylor 37 years old, the Packers could be in the market for another No. 2 behind Love in 2027, but McCord doesn't dare look ahead.
An odyssey that has sent him from Ohio State to Syracuse and then to Philly and Green Bay over the last three-plus years has taught him what's right in front of him is plenty to process. And it's paying dividends.
"I think the game is definitely starting to slow down at this level, which is good," he said. "It's feeling like college again where you know what you're looking for, you're able to anticipate throws.
"The other thing, too, is the vibe in the building. Being able to play loose, play aggressive, has definitely helped that."
