The Miami Dolphins had to clear nearly 40 roster spots this weekend to make sure they were down to 53 players by the league's deadline, but during that process, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan swung a trade.
On Sunday, Sullivan called up his old team and acquired quarterback Kyle McCord from the Green Bay Packers for a 2028 sixth-round pick. The 23-year-old just completed 65.7% of his passes for 446 yards and four touchdowns in his three preseason appearances.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Sullivan explained his decision to acquire the former Ohio State Buckeye.
"I've always been a fan of his," Sullivan said. "I feel like when you watch the kid play, he's a keep the train on the tracks kind of guy. I think he processes the game quick. I think he throws
an accurate catchable football. He runs the offense, and I know he's a smart guy. I know he's a competitive guy. Scouted him in college, obviously followed him and tracked him through the preseason, and I thought he had an opportunity to come in here. We obviously want No. 2 out there, but if something happened, I thought he could run the offense and help give us a chance to win games."
Interestingly, the Dolphins had three other quarterbacks on their roster that they let go of over the weekend, as they released Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski and traded Quinn Ewers, who served as the team's backup last year, to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"I wish Quinn the best. I think Quinn has an opportunity to play in this league for a while and do well, I think he needed a fresh start. I think we needed a fresh start," Sullivan said. "And I just think it – look, this is a performance-based business, and it was not getting done at the level that it needed to get done at. Quinn knew that, we had a lot of conversations. I think Quinn, if he was standing right here, would tell you that. I just think it was time to kind of move on, him get another fresh start and us start fresh withsomebody else as well."
Ewers just didn't play well enough this summer to earn a roster spot, and now Sullivan is hoping that, if he's needed, McCord can help keep the Dolphins afloat.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins GM explains why Miami traded for new backup QB
