Barring an injury, or an unforeseen opportunity to add an upgrade following training camp, the Green Bay Packers appear to have finally settled their quarterback room into the three distinct tiers after Monday’s signing of veteran Tyrod Taylor.
Jordan Love is the starter. Taylor is the backup. And Kyle McCord and rookie Kyron Drones will now compete to be the developmental third quarterback likely stashed on the practice squad. The preferred hierarchy is in place.
Signing Taylor and releasing Desmond Ridder added much needed clarity to the backup situation behind Love in a post-Malik Willis era. Out is Ridder, who ended last season on the 53-man roster, and in is Taylor, who is entering Year 16 in the NFL after spending the better part of the last decade as a journeyman backup quarterback. Unless Taylor is injured at some point this summer, he will go into Week 1 of 2026 as Love’s backup — giving the Packers a highly experienced No. 2 option who was a starter and has won games as a backup.
While now 36 years old and not nearly as mobile or dangerous with his legs as Willis, Taylor is no statue at quarterback (20 career rushing touchdowns, once ran 4.51), and he’s generally protected the football, throwing only 34 career interceptions over 100 career games and 62 starts.
Taylor has had recent success as a backup, too. Over a 224-dropback season with the New York Giants in 2023, Taylor averaged 7.5 yards per attempt, finished with 17 “big time throws,” per PFF, and tossed only three interceptions. His PFF passer grade was 73.4. Even in spot duty behind Aaron Rodgers in 2024, he threw three touchdown passes and zero picks.
Taylor was not successful as a backup last season, but it’s hard to imagine any professional quarterback succeeding in the dumpster fire situation presented by the 2025 New York Jets.
After three seasons with a developing young quarterback behind him, Love will get the luxury of an experienced veteran in the backup chair. Now a decade and a half in at the pro level, Taylor could provide valuable day to day insight for Love in a quarterback room that lost assistant coach Sean Mannion this offseason.
With Taylor all but locked in as the No. 2 quarterback in Green Bay, McCord (a sixth-round pick of the Eagles in 2025) and Drones (an undrafted free agent who visited Green Bay before 2026 draft) will battle to win the third spot. The Packers are generally patient with this role, understanding the difficulties of developing a young, inexperienced quarterback in the NFL. But it may be fluid considering McCord was jettisoned from Philadelphia after just one year on the practice squad, and Drones — while featuring Willis-like physical abilities — needs substantial development as a passer in a pro style system.
Just last summer, the Packers went from Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma battling in training camp to opening the season with Clayton Tune as the third quarterback on the practice squad. Brian Gutekunst will keep churning this roster spot if necessary.
But now the important pair — the starter and the backup — are locked in.
The Packers exited free agency and the draft with a fairly important question mark at quarterback, given the fact that Love has missed starts during each of the last two years. But the signing of Taylor provides answers and creates stability behind Love, and puts in place the desired hierarchy of starter, backup and developmental players at the game’s most important position.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers: Tyrod Taylor signing likely locks in QB hierarchy for 2026
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
