Will Dolphins make bold quarterback decision despite adding Malik Willis?

One could not have blamed an outsider for assuming that the Miami Dolphins would soon name Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis their new starter. 

The Dolphins and Willis agreed to a three-year, $67.5M contract with $45M of the deal fully guaranteed after the "legal tampering" portion of free agency got underway on Monday.

Willis is set to join a Miami quarterback room that is also occupied by 2025 seventh-round draft pick Quinn Ewers. It sounds like new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley aren't ready to fully relegate Ewers to full-time backup duties just yet. 

Malik Willis still has to prove himself to Dolphins? 

"Sullivan has consistently said the Dolphins will draft a quarterback this year, and likely will every year," team reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN shared on Monday. "Willis will probably get the first reps in spring practices, but Ewers can't be counted out just yet; one of these players will still have to earn the job."

Asking Willis to show throughout the spring and summer that he truly is the best quarterback on the Miami roster makes sense for multiple reasons. While he played well for Green Bay in two December appearances, the veteran of four pro campaigns has made just six career regular-season starts.

To compare, Ewers went 1-2 across three starts as a rookie. According to Pro Football Reference and ESPN, his 32.8 adjusted QBR would have had him ranked 39th in the NFL had he finished the 2025 regular season among qualified passers. 

Will signing Malik Willis prevent Dolphins from drafting a quarterback this spring?

"This likely confirms Miami will not spend a high draft pick on a quarterback, however, as speculation about its interest in Alabama's Ty Simpson has grown over the past few weeks," Louis-Jacques added. "Keep an eye on players like Taylen Green, Drew Allar and Carson Beck -- players who aren't likely to be high draft picks but present intriguing options late in the draft." 

The Athletic's Ted Nguyen pointed out that the Dolphins can escape Willis' contract after Year 2 with only $7M in dead-cap money for his third year. Thus, it's possible that Willis could end the 2026 season as a benched spectator if he leaves much to be desired with his play through the fall.