Dolphins OC Bobby Slowik sends warning to NFL defenses about Malik Willis

The Miami Dolphins signing quarterback Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5M contract with $45M of the deal fully guaranteed has gone down as one of the more controversial moves made by a team this offseason due to the fact that Willis is largely an unproven commodity. 

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik sent somewhat of a warning to opposing teams who may be doubting Willis' skills ahead of the 2026 season. 

Dolphins believe Malik Willis "can spin the ball all over the field"

"[He] can spin the ball all over the field, can throw the ball everywhere, can run, obviously, can use his legs," Slowik said about Willis, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "He's tough, but honestly, what I've enjoyed the most so far is getting to know him. The person is really fun to be around. He's really energetic. He infuses everybody with a lot of energy."

While with the Green Bay Packers, Willis completed 27-of-32 passes for 409 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions across two impressive December 2025 appearances. He also rushed for 104 yards and two scores over those games. 

That said, he has only started six total regular-season games since the Tennessee Titans selected him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Thus, there remain far more questions than answers regarding what he will and won't be as a full-time QB1.

Dolphins won't put Malik Willis at risk via too many designed runs this season

"I think that's what can get tough sometimes when you get a guy that maybe isn't as mobile at quarterback is, [opposing teams] have 11 guys, and aside from throwing the ball, you're really playing with 10. So it just lets you equalize some advantageous situations," Slowik said about the Dolphins getting the most out of Willis' abilities to make plays with his legs. "Outside of that, really the mobility these days shows up more in off-schedule situations than it does anything. So it's definitely a weapon, and it's a threat, and it's something you want a defense to think about, but I think no one in the NFL is coming out and just living in that world."

Many members of the NFL community assume that those running what may or may not become a "tanking" Dolphins team are already thinking about quarterbacks who will be available during next year's draft. Thus, Willis could have millions of reasons to want to take risks and leave it all out on the field each time he plays this coming fall.