The Combine Numbers Behind the Backups Who Balled Out

A Wild Friday Night for Backup Quarterbacks

Preseason finales rarely matter competitively, but they matter enormously for the players fighting to make a 53-man roster. Both the Packers and Cardinals rested their starters, handing Kyle McCord the entire game. The 2025 sixth-round pick, who spent last season on Philadelphia's practice squad, delivered: he went 22 of 35 for 226 yards, threw four touchdowns without a turnover, and rallied Green Bay from an 11-point deficit with two scores to Kisean Johnson in the final 3:30. "It's out of my control at this point," McCord said afterward. "I did everything that I could've to make a case for myself."

The same night, Broncos QB3 hopeful Sam Ehlinger threw multiple touchdown passes — including one to running back Cody Schrader — in a 34-6 win over Minnesota, making a real push to be Sean Payton's third quarterback behind Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham. Meanwhile, in Baltimore, the Ravens' kicking competition took a step backward: Tyler Loop missed two field goals and was booed by the home crowd amid growing job-security questions.

The Combine Profile Behind McCord's Big Night

McCord's testing background is almost the opposite of what you'd expect from a quarterback who just threw four touchdowns under pressure. He measured in at 218 pounds at the 2025 combine but did not run the 40-yard dash, and scouting reports consistently flagged his arm strength as below top-tier, noting the ball would hang on throws 25-plus yards downfield. His athletic profile was described as below average for the position overall.

Ehlinger's testing tells a similar story from a different angle. His 4.93-second 40 back in 2021 was well below average even by quarterback standards — see how that compares in our 2026 quarterback speed breakdown, where this year's combine class averaged 4.60. Ehlinger was never sold as a speed threat; he's a bigger-bodied, physical passer who has bounced between three organizations trying to stick as a career backup.

Why Testing Numbers Miss the Point at Quarterback

Of every position on the field, quarterback is the one where combine testing correlates least with NFL outcomes. Arm strength, mobility, and size are all measurable — but none of them capture the two things that actually separate a roster-caliber backup from a cut player: decision-making speed and accuracy under duress. McCord's coach put it plainly: "He definitely has the demeanor, no doubt about it. He's in total control out there, and he's willing to stand in the pocket, deliver in the face of pressure," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. That's not something a stopwatch or a vertical jump measures.

Ehlinger's career has followed the same pattern — a physical talent (mobility, toughness, a live arm) whose NFL survival has always hinged more on situational football IQ and locker-room value than raw testing numbers.

What It Means for the 53-Man Cutdown

Both performances landed at the worst possible time to be ignored — the NFL's roster cutdown deadline lands Sunday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. ET, when all 32 teams trim from 90 to 53 players. McCord's four-touchdown night gives Green Bay's front office a real decision to make on a fringe roster spot, and Ehlinger's showing strengthens his case to be kept as Denver's emergency QB3. Neither outcome was predicted by a stopwatch back in college — both were earned on the practice and game field, which is exactly the point.

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