On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will face off against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The game will feature the NFL regular-season debut of quarterback Kyle McCord, who has served as Miami’s backup to Malik Willis in the first eight games of the season.
McCord has yet to throw a pass in a Dolphins uniform, as he was acquired after the team’s preseason concluded. Like Willis, McCord was also a backup quarterback with the Green Bay Packers.
Now, ahead of his first regular season action as a starting quarterback, McCord spoke with reporters.
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Kyle McCord Sends Clear Message
Ahead of his NFL debut, Miami Dolphins quarterback Kyle McCord said of his emotions heading into Sunday’s game, “Obviously excited, but at the same time I know that the production on the field matters most, so I’m doing everything I can to get myself ready to go play.”
Regarding how he would describe himself as a quarterback, McCord said, “I pride myself on just being the ultimate competitor out there on the field. And then on top of that, I feel like being able to process information at a quick rate and getting the ball out and being accurate and being on time, I feel like those are all things throughout college and into my preseason games in the NFL that I had success with. So I’m just trying to keep that rolling.”
While some may be concerned about McCord starting for Miami despite not having been a member of the team during training camp, the quarterback expressed confidence in his knowledge of Miami’s scheme, saying, “It’s pretty similar to Green Bay in just in terms of the same family, the same system. Obviously, there are things here and there that are different in terms of terminology and some of the scheme stuff. But I feel like even though, and I know I said this when I first got here, I wasn’t here for OTAs and camp, I still was getting reps in the system and still feel comfortable with it. So at this point, the way I’m viewing it is I’ve had however many, like 8 months, I want to say, in the system and under my belt. So I feel confident, feel confident.”
Expectations for Kyle McCord
Dolphins on SI’s Alain Poupart wrote of the expectations for McCord in his NFL debut: “Kyle McCord will be getting a huge opportunity when he starts for the Miami Dolphins against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the 2025 sixth-round pick heading for his NFL debut after not being on an active roster as a rookie.
The Dolphins believed in McCord enough this summer that they traded a future sixth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers and immediately made him their backup behind another former Packers player, Malik Willis.
McCord obviously is an unknown quantity as an NFL quarterback because his rookie season was spent on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad and he hasn’t taken a snap so far for the Dolphins.
We’re not expecting McCord to light up the Colts secondary in his first NFL action. So maybe a fair expectation, based on what we know of McCord and the Dolphins’ offensive production this season, would be something along the lines of, say, 215 passing yards with one touchdown and no picks.”
In three preseason games with the Packers, McCord went 46-of-70 with 446 passing yards and four touchdowns.
New Dolphins Quarterback Sends Clear Message Before Debut