{"id":191185,"date":"2026-03-14T05:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T05:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/191185\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T05:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T05:48:15","slug":"in-nfl-free-agency-qb-malik-willis-and-miami-dolphins-are-off-and-running","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/191185\/","title":{"rendered":"In NFL free agency, QB Malik Willis and Miami Dolphins are off and running"},"content":{"rendered":"

After his comment drew surprise from the person on the other end of the phone call, quarterback guru Quincy Avery eagerly repeated it.<\/p>\n

While analyzing the strengths of new Miami Dolphins<\/a> quarterback Malik Willis<\/a>, Avery, who has guided many of the NFL\u2019s top signal-callers, made a bold prediction: The former backup will be both a standout passer next season and \u201cthe best running quarterback in the NFL.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whoa.<\/p>\n

In a league in which two-time Associated Press NFL MVP Lamar Jackson \u2014 who holds the all-time single-season rushing record for quarterbacks<\/a> \u2014 is still a superstar, Avery really went there. Then, he doubled down on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few years ago, yeah, Lamar was definitely the best, and he\u2019s still the best scrambler in the NFL, but what I\u2019m talking about is what Miami will now be able to do on designed [quarterback] runs,\u201d said Avery, who has worked with Willis for years. \u201cWith Malik\u2019s skills \u2026 the Dolphins will be able to do so many things that are just going to be different.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of his legs, watch, he\u2019s going to stress out defenses. Miami will put so much pressure on everyone they face. What that does is, it opens up so much you can do in the passing game. Those designed runs are going to be so good, so effective, they\u2019ll lead to so many explosive [passing] plays. This is one of the best signings of free agency.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dolphins are counting on it.<\/p>\n

\"MalikMalik Willis agreed to terms on a three-year, $67.5-million contract with the Miami Dolphins in free agency.<\/p>\n

Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Willis agreed to terms on a three-year, $67.5-million contract that includes $45 million in total guarantees and a $22.5 million signing bonus. The deal became official Wednesday, the first day of the new league year.<\/p>\n

Under new management from the front office to the field, the Dolphins lured Willis from the Green Bay Packers in hopes he\u2019ll be the main catalyst for a successful reset. Miami this week released former starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.<\/p>\n

The people who now occupy the biggest offices in Miami\u2019s football operation know Willis well.<\/p>\n

On Jan. 9, the Dolphins hired longtime Packers player-personnel executive Jon-Eric Sullivan as their general manager. Ten days later, they reunited Sullivan with former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, announcing him as their head coach.<\/p>\n

Malik Willis is used to proving doubters wrong in his path to the NFL \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

For the past two seasons, Willis, who turns 27 in May, has thrived as the primary backup to Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Under the tutelage of Green Bay head coach and offensive playcaller Matt LaFleur, Willis seized every opportunity while playing behind Love.<\/p>\n

In the process, he stunned many league observers who were ready to label the young quarterback as a bust after his first two seasons with the Tennessee Titans.<\/p>\n

Selected by the Titans in the third round (86th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Liberty, Willis struggled while playing little behind Tennessee starter Ryan Tannehill. After two seasons, the Titans gave up on Willis, trading him to the Packers in 2024 for a seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft.<\/p>\n

LaFleur helped Willis learn how to approach the position in the NFL correctly, providing a foundation his former pupil never received during his time in Nashville. From there, Willis\u2019 ascent occurred quickly.<\/p>\n

Titans fans could attest to that.<\/p>\n

Playing for the injured Love early during his first season after the trade, Willis shined in the visiting Packers\u2019 30-14 rout of his former team. Willis completed 13 of 19 passes for 202 passing yards and one passing touchdown. He was no less effective as a runner, leading all players with 73 rushing yards on just six carries (a 12.2-yard average) and adding another score.<\/p>\n

To hear Avery tell it, linking up with LaFleur saved Willis\u2019 career and put him on track for his big payday this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat LaFleur and his guys in Green Bay do so well is coach every quarterback in the room,\u201d Avery said. \u201cWhat I mean by that is some teams really only coach the starter. LaFleur wants all of his quarterbacks to get it. The way they were instructing him in Tennessee \u2026 he wasn\u2019t getting a full grasp of how to play.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had an opportunity to go through some [film] of the season with him after his first year at Tennessee. And the way that he communicated \u2026 it wasn\u2019t the way that somebody communicated if they had a full grasp of what was going on. Malik is a really smart guy, but there was a disconnect in the way that they were presenting information.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Green Bay, he got his doctorate in quarterback play. That\u2019s what allowed him to play at such a high level. That and the fact it\u2019s so much different when you\u2019re playing the quarterback position and you know that the people around you \u2014 not just your teammates but also coaches and management \u2014 believe in you. That\u2019s what he had in Green Bay. And that\u2019s what he\u2019ll also have in Miami.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Malik Malik Willis did well in spot duty for Green Bay, but he\u2019ll have to prove himself as a full-time NFL starter with the Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n

Larry Radloff\/Icon Sportswire<\/p>\n

Of course, Willis still has something to prove.<\/p>\n

Playing well in spot duty is one thing. The Dolphins need him to be productive consistently throughout the grind of a 17-game, 18-week schedule.<\/p>\n

Willis understands what\u2019s expected of him, Avery said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s ready to take the next step,\u201d the quarterback coach said. \u201cAnd if he plays to his ability, if he can do what he did with the Green Bay Packers over 17 weeks, he\u2019s going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is Willis\u2019 time, Avery believes. And if Willis and the Dolphins sprint past the competition, count Avery among those who won\u2019t be surprised.<\/p>\n

Jason Reid is the senior NFL writer at Andscape. He enjoys watching sports, especially any games involving his son and daughter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After his comment drew surprise from the person on the other end of the phone call, quarterback guru…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":191186,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-191185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191185\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}