On Sunday, the 1-7 Miami Dolphins will face off against the 2-7 Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The game will feature the first regular-season NFL action for quarterback Kyle McCord, who will start in place of the injured Malik Willis.
Now, ahead of McCord’s NFL debut, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley has shared his true feelings on the quarterback.
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Jeff Hafley Shares True Feelings on Quarterback Kyle McCord
Prior to Sunday’s game against the Colts, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley said of quarterback Kyle McCord, “He has a strong arm. Stronger than you think. He sees it well….He’s decisive and aggressive….He has a quiet confidence about himself.”
Hafley added of what he wants to see from McCord, “I want him to take this time and develop and grow and see where he can get to.”
McCord was acquired by the Dolphins after the 2026 preseason had concluded. After Miami’s backup quarterbacks Quinn Ewers, Cam Miller, and Mark Gronowski failed to stand out, the Dolphins traded for McCord, who was the Green Bay Packers’ third-string quarterback.
Ewers, who struggled during training camp and limited preseason action before getting hurt, started three games for the Dolphins last season. Those starts weren’t enough for Miami’s new coaching staff to keep him around as the team’s backup quarterback as they traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars before the season.
McCord will likely now have four games to prove whether the decision to move on from Ewers was the correct one.
Kyle McCord’s Journey
Regarding quarterback Kyle McCord, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson wrote: “Kyle McCord, acquired by the Dolphins from Green Bay in late August, now stands to become the team’s starting quarterback for Sunday’s game at Indianapolis (1 p.m., CBS 4) and likely beyond.
In his final year at Syracuse (2024), McCord ranked No. 1 nationally in the regular season in total passing yards (4,326), passing attempts (558), completions (367), completions per game (30.58), and passing yards per game (360). He was fourth in passing touchdowns (29) and finished 10th in Heisman Trophy voting.
The Eagles drafted him in the sixth round in 2025 but released him before training camp and signed him to the practice squad.
He joined the Packers in January and threw for 446 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, on 46-for-70 accuracy, for Green Bay in preseason. But he hasn’t yet appeared in an NFL regular-season game.”
Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley Shares True Feelings on New Quarterback