Former Syracuse football star quarterback Kyle McCord got off to a rough start in his NFL debut.
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound McCord, suiting up for the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, completed 1-of-5 passes for eight yards and one interception in limited reps.
The Eagles, playing at home on Thursday night in a preseason game, defeated the Cincinnati Bengals by a final count of 34-27. Philadelphia, in the 2025 NFL Draft, selected McCord in the sixth round, at No. 181 overall.
Playing for the Eagles is a homecoming for McCord, as he was a five-star prep recruit who starred for a Philadelphia-based high school program.
McCord appears to be vying for the No. 3 quarterback spot on the Eagles' roster, and he's battling Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who against the Bengals completed 5-of-8 passes for 56 yards.
Former Syracuse football signal-caller Kyle McCord had a record-setting senior year in college.
The Eagles are looking to repeat as champs. They went 18-3 overall a season ago and defeated the mighty Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia's starting quarterback is standout Jalen Hurts. Likely to serve as his primary backup during the upcoming campaign is Tanner McKee, who is entering his third year in the NFL.
McKee was fabulous versus Cincinnati. He completed 20-of-25 attempts for 252 yards through the air and two passing touchdowns. I read a few articles that stated McKee is in line to be the No. 2 quarterback for the Eagles, with McCord and Thompson-Robinson competing for the No. 3 position.
In their next preseason game, the Eagles will host the Cleveland Browns beginning at 1:00 pm on Saturday, Aug. 16. Let's see if McCord can fare better in that matchup.
After transferring from Ohio State to Syracuse football before his senior year in the 2024 campaign, McCord led the Orange to a 10-3 record, a bowl-game win and a No. 20 national ranking in the final Associated Press top-25 poll.
He set numerous Atlantic Coast Conference and 'Cuse program records in his lone season on the Hill. In 2024, McCord led the country in total passing yards, at 4,779, while throwing 34 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
A native of Mount Laurel, N.J., McCord was a five-star prep recruit in the 2021 class out of the St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia. At the time that his high school tenure culminated, the 2021 Gatorade player of the year in Pennsylvania had set city of Philadelphia records for career passing yards, at 6,887, and total touchdowns thrown, at 88.