MIAMI GARDENS ― The newest Miami Dolphins quarterback, backup Kyle McCord, believes he and starter Malik Willis view the Green Bay experience the same way.
"Going up there is probably the best thing that happened for his career early on, and I would say the same," McCord said in the Dolphins locker room.
The Dolphins traded a sixth-round pick to the Packers for McCord, the former Syracuse standout who now has previous stops in Philadelphia and Green Bay.
McCord excelled in training camp and the preseason with Green Bay. He believes being around Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur will have a big impact on his game.
"I think just watching the way Jordan plays and then being in that room and seeing the way they coach him, just how aggressive he is, I think really
opened my eyes to a lot," McCord said. "And I think sometimes as a young guy in the league, it's like, 'Okay, I just want to go out there and not mess up.' But just watching the way Jordan plays, he's gonna play aggressive, he's gonna' push the ball down the field. And the coaches up there want him to do that, want him to push it to the playmakers."
McCord, who began his college career at Ohio State, has a strong arm and is accurate.
"I think just my processing," McCord said when asked about his strengths. "Knowing the call and then seeing what the defense plays and getting the ball to the right guy on time, allowing the playmakers to go out and make plays. And then my accuracy too, I think those two things really showed in the preseason and are probably a big reason why I'm here."
McCord, 23, replaces Quinn Ewers, who was traded to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick.
Miami Dolphins news: Kyle McCord acquired from Packers
He won't have much time to work up to speed. But he said the concepts and schemes in Miami and Green Bay are similar. And having Willis around helps.
"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," McCord said. "And so it's been about as smooth as a transition as it could be."
McCord wants to attack his professional reps the way he approached them in college.
"I think you'll make a lot more mistakes trying not to mess up rather than playing aggressive," McCord said.
He surely was aggressive quarterbacking an upset of Miami while playing for Syracuse in 2024.
McCord passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-38 victory.
"I mean, that was probably the favorite game from my college career," McCord recalled. "Being able to go out like that and be a great Miami team was a lot of fun. So now hoping to make those same fans happy instead of upset."
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Kyle McCord: Packers stint was 'best thing' for his career
