Dolphins Have Nothing To Lose With Willis

Dolphins Have Nothing To Lose With Willis

When the NFL Free Agency period started on Monday with the legal tampering period, I expected to get updates throughout the day with breaking news on signings, trades, etc. However, I didn’t expect the Miami Dolphins to be reaching an agreement with anyone, considering their messy cap situation, but at 12:30 p.m., I got an alert that the Dolphins were signing quarterback Malik Willis from the Green Bay Packers.

I was surprised and stunned as I had heard new GM John Eric Sullivan say he is going to get the Dolphins in a healthy salary cap situation and be diligent with their free agent spending. I felt like, with the Dolphins starting the off-season over the cap by more than $20 million, the Dolphins wouldn’t do anything.

I thought it would be best not to take Willis, and considering he would want to pay, it would kind of contradict what Sully said.

However, Sully did say he was going to look at the quarterback position a lot more and try to draft one every year. Sully signed Willis, so that meant what he said about going after the quarterback. I wasn’t totally on board with the signing. 

However, after thinking about it for the last few days, I think this was a nice move even though it is risky. 

Think about the Dolphins have had regimes the last 25 years, and they have neglected the quarterback position during that time. They would be too loyal to the quarterbacks they pick, and they wouldn’t look at the position to bring in competition. Remember when the Dolphins had a chance to get Trent Green, when they had Fiedler?

Then-coach Dave Wannstedt said, “What has Trent Green done that Jay Fiedler hasn’t?” Well, he went on to very productive years with the Chiefs for a good 5–6-year period. Or Wannstedt passing on Drew Brees in the first round of that year, or having a chance to acquire Matt Hasselbeck. That was the year it started. 

The Dolphins have also drafted quarterbacks like Chad Henne and Ryan Tannehill and hung on to them too long when it was obvious they weren’t the answer. In Tannehill’s case, just like Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins gave him a second contract and didn’t play up to the hype. During that time, the Dolphins had opportunities to acquire quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Derek Carr, but ultimately passed and didn’t bring in any competition. 

The Dolphins also passed on drafting Matt Ryan with the first pick in 2008 and took Jake Long, who started out well until injuries crushed his time. Ryan went on to play for over 15 years and was the Atlanta Falcons franchise quarterback for years, and got his team to the Super Bowl. 

Sully is trying to change that and comes from the Packers, who have a long history of bringing in quarterbacks and identifying the next franchise quarterback, while also developing others to get great value in return and being available on game when the quarterback goes down.

Willis did that over the last couple of years in 5 total games. I know it’s a small sample size, but the Dolphins have to take a chance and I know it’s 3 years $63 million with $45 million guaranteed, however, that’s peanuts by NFL standards and the Dolphins can still take a quarterback this year and next year in the draft to compete and they play better than Willis they can get out of the deal after two years.  

This isn’t a great quarterback draft class, but they have some intriguing late-round options who could develop, such as Drew Allar and Taylen Green, both of whom have the physical tools to play. Next year is supposed to have a better quarterback class.   

This shows Sully’s commitment to investing in the quarterback. I know this is a limited sample size for Wills, but he has talent. When he was drafted in the 3rd round in 2022 by the Tennessee Titans, he started a couple of games in place of Tannehill, and in his first start on Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs, he looked lost, unprepared, and not ready to play yet.

However, the Packers traded for him in 2024 for a late-round pick, and he had to start that year in place of Jordan Love. Willis played much better and looked like he was coached up better to showcase his talents. He started in 3 games this year and played well, throwing 6 TDs and 0 INTs.

I know small sample size, but he has a big arm and can move around the pocket and create plays with his arm and legs to threaten a defense, which is something this team hasn’t had at quarterback. That is something you need in the NFL today, especially with your legs, because if you have a quarterback that can run and extend plays, it can take the offense to another level, something this team didn’t have with Tua Tagovalioa. 

One of my concerns is whether he has enough around him and can do more with less talent. I know the Dolphins have Devon Achane and Jaylen Waddle, but they don’t have other playmakers. It will make me question whether Willis was helped by the talent around him, because the Packers are always competing and are well known for drafting good players.  

It’s a chance I am willing to take because of the lack of effort over the past two decades. If this doesn’t work out, at least the Dolphins tried, rather than passing up on another player with potential and giving you something at quarterback that the Dolphins haven’t had, but at least Sully is making the effort so far, and he is more than likely not done addressing the quarterback.

He is committed to finding the long-term answer, and since the Dolphins have done nothing for over 25 years and are in another rebuild, no one is expecting anything from them.

I feel the Dolphins have nothing to lose in this case.