{"id":189753,"date":"2026-03-13T05:16:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T05:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/189753\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T05:16:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T05:16:15","slug":"miami-dolphins-are-banking-on-malik-willis-athleticism-for-new-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/189753\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Dolphins are banking on Malik Willis\u2019 athleticism for new era"},"content":{"rendered":"

Malik Willis\u2019 dual-threat skill set is the direction the NFL, if not all of football, is headed.<\/p>\n

Athletes masquerading as passers are football\u2019s hottest new fad, and it\u2019s seemingly here to stay like a Rolex watch.<\/p>\n

However, Willis\u2019 style, how he plays the game, wasn\u2019t the reason the Miami Dolphins full-court pressed the former Green Bay Packers backup, making him one of the biggest earners in the first week of free agency.<\/p>\n

Injecting HOPE in this fan base\u2019s bloodstream was the motivator. That\u2019s why Willis will become Miami\u2019s first athletic quarterback since David Woodley.<\/p>\n

That is what the Dolphins do well. They sell HOPE like nobody can.<\/p>\n

HOPE sells tickets, and merchandise.<\/p>\n

Management might change. The head coach might be replaced. But owner Steve Ross is still his big spending self, and Tom Garfinkel, remains the business-savvy CEO, which means the Dolphins need Willis to fill the HOPE tank in the opening chapter of this challenging rebuild.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing the Miami Dolphins franchise has mastered during the past two decades of mediocrity it\u2019s selling HOPE.<\/p>\n

But Miami is using an inexperienced quarterback, who had struggled on every level of the game with the exception of spot playing time the past two years, to do so?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt happened when I was prepared,\u201d Willis said when asked about Miami handing him the keys to South Florida\u2019s NFL franchise after dumping a seemingly broken down Tua Tagovailoa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came into the league I wasn\u2019t prepared. That\u2019s not a knock on my coaches or myself. It was what it was coming from the system I came from,\u201d Willis said, referring to playing his final collegiate seasons at Liberty University. \u201cI\u2019ve had a chance to learn for the last four years. I\u2019ve gone through four different offenses, and seen a bunch of defenses. I\u2019ve grown a lot, and I\u2019m grateful for the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willis\u2019 next start will be his seventh of his NFL career.<\/p>\n

His next pass will be the 156th in five seasons.<\/p>\n

The next rushing attempt he makes will be his 75th, and the yard he gains will be his 406th.<\/p>\n

Willis is far from a finished product, and he openly admits that. But the 26-year-old was the best of the quarterbacks who were available to the Dolphins, the talent that possessed the most upside.<\/p>\n

Free agents such as Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, Joe Flacco are all on the downside of their careers, if not on their last lifeline.<\/p>\n

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, a Miami native, is likely untouchable because the Las Vegas Raiders will make him the first overall pick, and would request a king\u2019s ransom in a trade, and every other enticing quarterback in this 2026 Draft \u2014 Alabama\u2019s Ty Simpson, LSU\u2019s Garrett Nessmeier and Penn State\u2019s Drew Allar \u2014 are a massive role of the dice.<\/p>\n

And if anyone was going to invest in Willis it should be new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, and head coach Jeff Hafley, who both come from the Packers organization.<\/p>\n

They both saw Willis practice for two years, consistently.<\/p>\n

On Thursday Willis talked about consistently asking Hafley what he needed to do to improve his game on a regular basis when they were together in Green Bay, and praised his new head coach for not providing surface level answers.<\/p>\n

Hafley used Willis to get his defense prepared for each week\u2019s opponent, and there were instances where he had to strongly suggest to Willis to stop running around the field like a chicken with his head cut off, making throws from the pocket.<\/p>\n

Willis had spent his entire career leaning on his athleticism, his quickness and elusiveness, which he used as a cheat code in football, and for him to take the next step as an NFL player he had to shed that habit and become more of a traditional passer.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins are gambling on Willis continuing that evolution.<\/p>\n

They have $45 million in guaranteed money, and the trust of the Dolphins fan base, riding on that HOPE.<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t just on Willis.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s on offensive coordinator Ryan Slowik to build an offense around Willis\u2019 multifaceted skill set.<\/p>\n

Willis must beat out Quinn Ewers, and any other quarterback Miami possibly might select in the 2026 NFL Draft class.<\/p>\n

And Sullivan\u2019s job is to put a better arsenal of talent around Willis than slot receiver Malik Washington and tight end Greg Dulcich, adding players who will complement speedy receiver Jaylen Waddle and Pro Bowl tailback De\u2019Von Achane.<\/p>\n

If Willis is good, the Dolphins will be begging him to take $45 million a year.<\/p>\n

If he\u2019s not, they will move on in 2027 (with a trade) or 2028 by doing what the Dolphins have been ineffective doing for two-plus decades, which is find a quarterback who can lead the franchise to playoff wins, and maybe a Super Bowl appearance, for next decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t see the future, but I know they will put in the work each and every day. I\u2019ll try to do the same,\u201d Willis said. \u201cWhatever role, whatever leadership, whatever it is, they brought me in as a piece of the puzzle, and I\u2019m grateful and honored to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s HOPE he\u2019s not just grateful, but is actually GOOD.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 4:36 PM.<\/p>\n


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