Examining the Overlooked Aspect of the Willis Signing

The Miami Dolphins' offseason shopping has been limited to bargain-type players looking to emerge, with the one glaring exception being quarterback Malik Willis.

And as much as that move was about the idea of taking a shot at landing a franchise quarterback at a very reasonable cost during what essentially will be a two-year tryout, there likely was another important factor at play at here.

In simple terms, the 2026 season for the Miami Dolphins should be more than anything about establishing a foundation not so much in terms of players but in how the organization will want to do things moving forward — establishing a culture, if you want to use that term.

And in every situation like this one, it takes some front-line players to lead the way, even to show the way.

This is where Malik Willis comes in.

As SI NFL writer Albert Breer wrote in his Takeaeways on Monday, "As much as anything, Hafley’s going to need torchbearers for his program, and he and Jon-Eric Sullivan feel confident they have one in Willis. Of course, the first part of that is going to ride on how Willis plays, and Hafley and Sullivan wouldn’t have acquired the former Packers backup in free agency if they didn’t think what he showed in 11 games, and three starts, over the past two years was more than flashes. The numbers, at least in a vacuum, are outstanding. Willis threw for 972 yards, six touchdowns and no picks, completing 68% of his throws, with a 134.6 rating as a Packer, with another 261 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He was also, for what it’s worth, 3–0 as a starter.

"Hafley, over the past two years, had the benefit of working against Willis in practice, so he saw the quarterback’s accuracy, both down the field and on the run, and could feel what the 225-pounder looked like running in the open field. He also saw Willis adapt.

"And that brings us to the second piece of the equation: the intangible piece. As a backup, Willis ran the scout team, meaning he met with the former Packers defensive coordinator weekly to go through the looks the coach needed, based on who was playing quarterback for the opponent. Through that process, Hafley got to see how seriously Willis took the role and how easily he could run another team’s offense.

"They even joked with each other, after the Green Bay defense held J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings to 52 passing yards in a Week 12 win, that Willis did more to Micah Parsons & Co. on Wednesday than Minnesota did on Sunday. But there was a reality to that, beyond any sort of messing around — Willis was doing a ton to get Hafley’s group ready to roll."

In that Week 12 game last season, the Packers defense held Minnesota to 145 total yards and 10 first downs in a 23-6 victory at Lambeau Field.

WHY WILLIS ALWAYS MADE SENSE

Willis spent only two seasons in Green Bay, but was respected enough by the organization that he got the video sendoff treatment from the Packers despite the fact he started exactly three games for them.

It speaks to the kind of person the Dolphins got in Willis.

Make no mistake, Willis almost assuredly will be a leader for the Dolphins in 2026, though his nature wouldn't allow him to make that declaration during his introductory press conference with the South Florida media.

“I feel like leadership, we should all be leading each other," Willis said. "Obviously to earn the position of leadership, that’s  what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to earn it. You’ve got to do what you need to do each day to prepare, do what you need to do each day to work. You’ve got to be a guy that can hold people accountable and be held accountable. I think there's a lot that goes into that, and you only can build that over time.”

What Willis accomplishes in the intangibles department in terms of helping establish the new Dolphins way under Sullivan and Hafley ultimately could become as valuable as the stats he's able to produce with a depleted offensive roster that's now lost Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

The Dolphins offense right now looks to be, um, how shall we put it, talent-deficient, though there should be some rookie help coming in the form of draft picks.

But there's only so much improvement in personnel the Dolphins can make, so let's assume the talent on offense will land toward the bottom the NFL.

When it comes to Willis, so what?

Sullivan and Hafley don't need to see Willis put up big numbers or lead the Dolphins to a respectable record to figure out if they have a potential franchise quarterback on their roster or whether they need to revisit the position with a high draft pick in 2027.

This season will be more about what Willis shows in terms of how he handles his first full-time assignment with everything that's involved in playing quarterback. And he can do all those things — decision-making, processing, seeing the field, reading the defenses, being a leader — without having top-notch talent around him.

Even if things will be more difficult in terms of actually having success.

As for Willis, even if he wasn't told the Dolphins were planning on trading Waddle, he had to know he wasn't joining the 2023 version with Hill, Waddle, Achane, Raheem Mostert and all that talent on offense.

And the opportunity in Miami for Willis doesn't change in that he's got the chance to establish himself as a full-time starting quarterback in the NFL.

So even if the going gets rough in 2026 — and logic says it will for the Miami — this isn't about just 2026. For Willis or the Dolphins.

It's about setting the stage for future success, and the Dolphins are hoping Willis can help in multiple ways.