Dolphins' Jeff Hafley had strong message for Malik Willis amid QB uncertainty

The new Miami Dolphins regime, led by general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, made a major splash when it signed former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5M contract earlier this offseason. 

Sullivan previously worked as Green Bay's vice president of player personnel, while Hafley was the Packers defensive coordinator over the past two seasons. While speaking with reporters, Hafley recently revealed the nature of a conversation he had with Willis regarding the Dolphins' current quarterback situation. 

Dolphins don't want Malik Willis to "press" after signing deal

"He came to [the] office," Hafley said about Willis, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "I said, 'Don’t change who you are.' I said, 'Don’t put any extra pressure on yourself. You’ve earned the right to be here and have this opportunity, and you’ve done that by doing all the things the right way — don’t change that. Don’t press, just be you.'" 

One March report suggested that Willis will have to compete with 2025 seventh-round draft pick Quinn Ewers for the Miami starting job later this summer. Meanwhile, some believe Sullivan may already be thinking about which top-tier quarterback prospect the Dolphins could target in the 2027 draft. Others are predicting that Miami could take a flier on an advertised project signal-caller on the final day of this year's player-selection process. 

As for Willis, he has made just six career regular-season starts since entering the league as a 2022 third-round draft pick. He played well for Green Bay in two appearances this past December, but Hafley knows that the 26-year-old will inevitably make mistakes during games later this year. 

Dolphins want Malik Willis to play with "confidence"

"...I want to make sure that he understands that," Hafley added during his comments about Willis. "It doesn’t have to be perfect. There’s going to be mistakes made, but I want him to play with that confidence, and I want him to play the way he’s always done it." 

How Willis responds to such a challenge could determine if he's atop Miami's depth chart or even with the club when September 2027 arrives.