Lack Of Offensive Weapons Shouldn’t Excuse Malik Willis

Lack Of Offensive Weapons Shouldn’t Excuse Malik Willis

The Miami Dolphins open training camp in less than two weeks with a lot of new faces. The biggest one is quarterback Malik Willis, who the Dolphins signed a free agent from the Green Bay Packers for 3 years and $63 million. New GM John Eric Sullivan and HC Jeff Hafley got a first-hand look at Willis for the last two years in Green Bay. Sully had a conviction to sign him to the contract despite having 6 career starts. 

Is Malik Willis the answer as the Dolphins franchise QB?  

I don’t know the answer to that. Willis has a different skill set in his athletic ability to extend plays when the play breaks down, and he also has a big arm. The problem is that this will be his first season going into camp as the guy. Now the Dolphins only signed him to a 3-year deal, which isn’t a long commitment, and his $45 million guaranteed is peanuts compared to what other quarterbacks are getting. 

There is a lot of intrigue to Willis, but also unanswered questions, like how he will respond when adversity hits. There will be a lot of that this year. Can he raise the level of play from his teammates? Can he process the field and make accurate throws rather than rely on his athletic ability? When he runs, will he protect himself from injury? These are some things we just don’t know and won’t know until the season starts. 

 A lot of people feel this year is unfair to judge Willis because the Dolphins revamped the wide receiver position. They released Tyreek Hill and traded Jaylen Waddle, so the Dolphins don’t have the number 1 receiver threat. Heck, the Dolphins don’t have a number 2 and possibly a 3. 

 I don’t think that should excuse Willis from evaluating him. The Dolphins should have a good idea by the end of the season if Willis has what it takes to being the teams long term starter by the end of the season. Yes, he doesn’t have a lot of offensive weapons, but quarterbacks are the leaders of the team, and they should be able to raise their team’s level of play no matter what.  

People felt Patrick Mahomes wasn’t going to be as good when the Kansas City Chiefs traded Hill in 2022 and he didn’t have a true receiver threat, but Mahomes went on to lead the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowl titles after the trade and even got them to a 3rd straight Super Bowl.  

When the Buffalo Bills traded star receiver Stefon Diggs, some wondered how Josh Allen would do without a true number one receiver, and he continues to elevate his team, making the playoffs. He is also considered by some in the league as the best QB in the league right now. 

You don’t have to have a great supporting cast. The Dolphins will have 17 games to see if they have something in Willis moving forward, and you should be able to tell regardless of who is on the field. One of my biggest red flags about Tua Tagovailoa was the Dolphins’ numerous injuries at the end of the 2023 season.

He still played all 17 games, and the team had a 3-game lead in the division in the last month of the season, but they collapsed. The injuries were a reason, but Tagovailoa should have been able to raise his level of play; he didn’t play well, and the team choked to end the season. That was a big problem for me and a reason the team shouldn’t have given him a big contract, not just the durability issues. 

Willis has to show that he is the leader of this team moving forward. He must raise his level of play and show that he can be the team’s QB moving forward, regardless of who is on the field. If not, the 2027 draft class is considered loaded with QBs, but that’s a story for another day as that will play out from September until April. Sully and Hafley should have a good idea by season’s end if Willis is the guy they think he can be, and if the answer is no, then the team can look elsewhere.