The Green Bay Packers’ quarterback room is pretty much set for 2026, with Jordan Love established as the franchise leader and Tyrod Taylor likely serving as his backup after signing with the team this offseason. The biggest question now is whether Kyron Drones or Kyle McCord can do enough during training camp and the preseason to earn the third-string spot on the roster.
Drones joined Green Bay as an undrafted rookie and brings an intriguing athletic skillset to the quarterback room. He has the arm talent to attack all levels of the field and the mobility to create when plays break down, showing comfort operating outside the pocket and improvising under pressure.
“I feel like I got the best arm, best talent, best size-wise that I can run, too,” Drones told Sports Illustrated. “So, I feel like I’m a complete QB. I can only get better. My footwork, I know that’s what I need to work on. And once I get that down pat, I’m going to be a hell of a player.”
While Taylor also adds movement ability at quarterback, Drones offers a different dimension as a runner. His rushing ability is built less on pure speed and more on power, balance, and physicality, allowing him to fight through contact and turn difficult plays into positive yardage.
Unlike Drones, McCord entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025. He spent most of his rookie year developing in Philadelphia’s system after rejoining the organization on the practice squad following roster cuts at the end of training camp. Green Bay later brought him in on a reserve/futures contract in January.
“Just went back and tried to watch as much of him (Jordan Love) from last year as I could,” McCord said in the locker room on Monday, “kind of pick up some of the stuff they had him doing, and try to emulate it as best as I can.”
The 2025 sixth-round pick entered the draft process with plenty of fans around the league after a productive final college season. McCord finished his career as the ACC’s single-season passing yards record holder. He also showed an ability to produce consistently in difficult passing situations, ranking fifth among quarterbacks in the 2025 draft class in EPA per play on third-and-long and fourth-and-long situations.
I think McCord can offer a bit more as a pure passer, while Drones brings more as an athlete. That contrast could end up defining this battle. It may ultimately come down to who can better complement different types of personnel packages and specific situations within the offense. In that sense, Drones might hold a slight edge given how naturally his skillset translates to varied, off-script roles.
That said, the emergency quarterback rule gives teams some flexibility on game day, since a designated third quarterback can be active without counting toward the 48-man game-day limit. Because of that, it reduces the need to dedicate a full roster spot to a traditional QB3, especially if that player is unlikely to contribute elsewhere.
With that in mind, it’s hard to envision Green Bay carrying three quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster. That reality puts Drones and McCord in a difficult spot, with an extremely small margin for error. They would likely need standout, near-flawless training camps just to stay in the conversation.
Even so, the opportunity is real, and a strong summer from either player could at least force the Packers to seriously weigh whether one of them is worth breaking from their usual roster approach.
