Yes, the Miami Dolphins released Tyreek Hill. Yes, the Miami Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa. And yes, the Miami Dolphins traded away (possible) future Hall-of-Fame safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for a 7th-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This is what is called re-building. And it’s OK, Dolphin fans. They need to rebuild. There is a new head coach hired (Jeff Hafley). And to be honest, let’s be real. With the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots in the AFC East with Miami, they have absolutely no shot of doing a thing next season.
So, along with their new head coach, they are set to bring in a very interesting choice at quarterback. And there is a connection between this QB and the head coach, as both are coming over from the Green Bay Packers. Dolphins fans, let me cordially introduce you to Malik Willis. For the casual football fan, you have no clue who he is. For the fantasy-football heads, he is a very intriguing choice. Personally speaking, he will get his one season to see what he’s got. They have a young Quinn Ewers to back him up, but he will get every snap if he can even remotely play well.
Now, let’s talk about Malik Willis and who he is.
Malik Willis was a standout dual-threat quarterback in high school. He started at Auburn University but transferred to a smaller program at Liberty, where he broke out with big passing and rushing numbers in 2020 and 2021. The Tennessee Titans drafted him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. After some early struggles, he was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 2024, where he began showing growth as a versatile backup quarterback. To this point in his career, he has always been a backup quarterback.
Malik Willis has played a total of 22 NFL games. In 2022 with the Titans, he appeared in eight games, throwing for 276 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. In 2023, he played in three games, with 21 passing yards and no interceptions. After being traded to the Packers in 2024, he played seven games, passing for 550 yards and three touchdowns. And in 2025, he played four games with 422 yards and three touchdowns. Those were his passing numbers.
He is still green behind the gills. Malik Willis has only made six career starts in the NFL, with a record of 3 wins and 3 losses. So with a record like this, it is clear the Dolphins are putting a lot of eggs in his basket. It will be fun to see if he can mature. If he can’t, it will be a very long season. But that is OK, they are rebuilding and let’s tamper down the expectations. We are a looooooong way from Dan Marino, here. Hell, we are a long way from Chad Pennington, even until we see what Willis can do.
