Malik Willis challenges Dolphins teammates, opens up about early-career struggles

On Thursday, the Miami Dolphins introduced presumed new starting quarterback Malik Willis to local media members. 

As Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post noted, Willis showcased a soft-spoken personality in his first official appearance as a Miami player. That said, Willis also offered somewhat of a challenge to his new teammates. 

Malik Willis ready "to earn a position of leadership" with the Dolphins

"We should all be leading each other," Willis explained while speaking about his role as the Dolphins' QB1. "Obviously, to earn a 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, and 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."

The Dolphins and Willis reportedly agreed to a three-year, $67.5M contract with $45M of the deal fully guaranteed. Despite the money attached to that agreement, it was later said that Willis will ultimately "have to earn" the starting job over 2025 seventh-round draft pick Quinn Ewers later this summer. 

Long before Willis played well for the Green Bay Packers in two December appearances this past season, he became a "forgotten" quarterback with the Tennessee Titans two years after they selected him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Willis went 1-2 across three starts during his short-lived Tennessee tenure, and he has only started six total regular-season games as a pro. 

What went wrong for Malik Willis earlier in his career?  

"When I came in the league, I wasn't prepared," Willis acknowledged. "And that's not a knock toward my coaches or myself. That's just what it was coming from the system I came from. And I've had a chance to learn in the last four years since I've been in the league and went through four different offenses and seen a bunch of different defenses. And I just think I've grown a lot." 

Such growth helped Willis get paid in a big way this offseason. The Dolphins are banking on that growth helping the 26-year-old become the long-term answer at the position that Tua Tagovailoa wasn't for the organization. 

"Understanding the mental side of the game for sure," Willis said about how he has improved from what he was when with the Titans. "And just absorbing that information and being able to utilize it, not just having a bunch of information and being slow and thinking so much about it."