The Philadelphia Eagles drafted local product Kyle McCord in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft as a developmental quarterback. So it’s not super surprising that he’s been raw this summer.
But McCord has struggled more than some expected him to during his first camp. In his preseason debut, McCord completed just one pass on five attempts for eight yards. He also had an interception.
McCord addressed his performance in the preseason and training camp while speaking to reporters Saturday.
“I feel like you come in the first year and it’s gonna be a big learning adjustment, especially for a quarterback,” McCord said, via NBC Sports’ Reuben Frank. “So just trying to be a sponge in the room. And obviously the volume of reps isn’t high, but that’s why you have to be really good watching film, learning when the other guys are in.
“Then when you do get your opportunity, using those reps to your advantage and learning off those reps as well. So I feel like every day taking a step in the right direction, learning from my mistakes.”
Eagles’ Kyle McCord Competing With Veteran for No. 3 QB Role
The Eagles appear pretty set at the top of their quarterback depth chart. Jalen Hurts returns fresh off a season that concluded with a Super Bowl MVP. While the Eagles traded last year’s backup Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee is expected to be a quality backup this season.
But there’s a competition for the No. 3 quarterback role in Philadelphia. McCord is battling Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who the Eagles acquired in the trade involving Pickett.
There weren’t very high expectations for Thompson-Robinson entering camp. In 15 games for the Browns, he completed only 52.6% of his passes. Thompson-Robinson also had one touchdown versus 10 interceptions.
Last season, he had no touchdowns and six picks.
But Thompson-Robinson has arguably outplayed McCord, giving pause to the idea that the rookie is ready to be the No. 3 quarterback.
“Kyle McCord was the hot-shot rookie from Syracuse who led college football in passing last year, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson was the Browns castoff with the worst touchdown-interception ratio in the NFL in the last 50 years,” wrote Frank.
“The competition for the Eagles’ 3rd-string quarterback spot hasn’t gone quite the way you might have expected a month ago.
“McCord, the rookie 5th-round pick, has struggled much of training camp and had a tough NFL debut in the preseason opener vs. the Bengals. But DTR, after a difficult first few days of practice, has looked sharp and is clearly in the lead for the No. 3 spot behind Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee.”
In Week 1 of the preseason, Thompson-Robinson completed five of six passes for 56 yards.
Eagles’ Dorian Thompson-Robinson a QB Trade Candidate?
With Thompson-Robinson outplaying McCord, Philadelphia’s entire quarterback room behind Hurts could be in the flux. That’s what Heavy Sports’ Beth Mishler-Elmore suggested Sunday when she implied both McKee and Thompson-Robinson could be trade candidates.
Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski also wondered if Thompson-Robinson could be a trade chip before the end of August.
That’ll be an interesting decision for the Eagles at cutdowns,” Kempski wrote Saturday. “Can they trade DTR? And if not, will they keep the better player right now, or the rookie with theoretical higher upside? Or maybe both?”
Clearly, the Eagles have some decisions to make before the regular season. McCord could make it a little easier on the team by playing better in the final two preseason contests.
