Malik Willis (toe) practices in full Wednesday

Willis stood in the pocket, holding onto the ball too long when trailing the Raiders in the second half last week. He is currently nursing a toe injury, though scrambling faster, or at least throwing on the run, might help him achieve his new goal. Checking down to explosive RB De’Von Achane would also be smart, but the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s David Furones instead highlighted Willis’ strong connection with rookie WR Caleb Douglas in his article on the subject. Getting the ball out of his hands quickly to either player would be a smart move. Willis’ Dolphins will likely be trailing often in the second half. Developing go-to responses to this situation would help out all involved for fantasy purposes.

Willis scrambled very effectively and was unafraid to test the Raiders’ defense deep. His pocket awareness seemingly waned as the Raiders extended their lead throughout the game, leading to two batted passes and three sacks taken in the fourth quarter, bringing his total to five on the day. Dolphins rookie WR Caleb Douglas looks like a hit, and RB De’Von Achane was his typically reliable self as a receiver. Willis should produce better box scores as the season progresses. He is a borderline QB1/2 against the 49ers next week.

Willis’ lone incompletion was not his fault. His intended receiver stepped out of bounds during the catch. The Dolphins’ new quarterback was not afraid to push the ball downfield and scrambled twice in Commanders territory. One carry occurred in the green zone, and Willis managed to break an attempted horse-collar tackle before being pushed out of bounds at the four-yard line. Willis won’t fool you into thinking he is an elite quarterback, but his dual-threat profile should yield QB1 spiked weeks this season.

Kelly published an offseason awards list today, and Willis’ review was not great. Kelly believes the coaching staff " needs to find a way to improve his processing speed.” He also thinks Willis “needs to spend the next month developing better chemistry with his weaponry.” The latter issue has been mentioned before by coach Jeff Hafley and OC Bobby Slowik. To be fair to Willis, Kelly notes that Willis never once attempted a scramble in practice open to media members because he is trying to refine his pocket passing. Unfortunately, Kelly believes Willis failed to put distance between himself and backup QB Quinn Ewers, whom Slowik complimented publicly earlier this month. Willis will score plenty of fantasy points with his legs this season, but he will need to produce at least somewhat reliably as a passer as well.

“I think he’s looked as good as he’s looked since I met him,” Hafley told reporters Tuesday morning. This comes one week after Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said learning the team’s offense and getting comfortable with the team’s pass catchers has been an “ongoing process” for Willis, who last season led the NFL in EPA per drop back on a small sample size (58 plays) in Green Bay. He was 22 percent over his expected pass rate with the Packers in 2025, leading all quarterbacks. While the updates on Willis are not exactly wildly optimistic, it’s good for the Miami offense that he’s making progress as he prepares to start for a team with as little offensive talent as any in the NFL.

At the beginning of the Dolphins’ mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley described the passing offense as “a work in progress.” It doesn’t sound like Willis made many leaps in his development over the last three days. Slowik added that “it’s probably going to be an ongoing process up until the regular season starts, that’s how it always is.” Apparently, Dolphins coaches made more substitutions than they typically do during team drills, which can “throw chemistry off,” and Slowik at least complimented Willis’ improved confidence. Willis is a rushing quarterback with decent upside. If he can produce even moderately as a passer, he has a chance to be in the QB1 tier. Hopefully, we get some resoundingly positive news in the coming weeks.

Malik Willis, Hafley said during a Tuesday presser, is still building chemistry with the team’s pass catchers in OTAs and working on timing. That presumably includes Malik Washington, who had 46 catches for 317 yards and three scores last season, and Greg Dulcich, who’s expected by Miami beat writers to “figure heavily” into the team’s passing attack in 2026. Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell could also see heavy snaps in the Miami passing game this season. Tolbert, who flashed in Dallas in 2024 with 610 yards and seven touchdowns, could emerge as the Dolphins’ top pass-catching option with a solid training camp. There likely won’t be much target volume to go around, however, considering the team’s plans to operate a run-heavy offense.

Sullivan said signing Willis, formerly of the Packers, to a three-year contract “was very important to us” so the team could methodically build a contending roster through the draft. “I’m very comfortable with Malik and his ability to play with what’s around him,” Sullivan told ESPN’s Kevin Clark. The implication is that Willis will not be judged too harshly if he struggles in 2026 on a rebuilding Miami team that recently parted ways with star wideouts Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. NFL Network reported in late March that the Dolphins plan to add a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, a move that would question just how patient the team will be with Willis.

It sounds like Wolfe believes the Dolphins will draft a developmental quarterback prospect to potentially compete with Willis after the 2026 season. The Dolphins are said to be all in on Willis this season and view him as a potential long-term starter. Perhaps tellingly, Wolfe refers to this year as “the rebuild.” Rolling the dice on a dual-threat quarterback while developing an intriguing prospect makes sense. If Willis pans out, great. If not, the Dolphins will already have another option in the works.

Willis’ Miami arrival comes the same day the ‘Fins ate an historic amount of dead money by cutting Tua Tagovailoa loose. Despite the salary cap complications, the ‘Fins always seemed like the most likely landing spot as they attempted to build “Packers South” (again), though that does not include at offensive coordinator, where former Texans assistant Bobby Slowik will be calling plays. The attack will nevertheless undoubtedly be modeled after the keepaway approach the Pack employed any time Willis was forced to spell Jordan Love. It could work, but seems more likely to fail. It’s at least an outside-the-box swing. Willis’ high-end rushing ability will make him an intriguing QB1 flier in fantasy leagues. If he stays healthy, it’s difficult to believe he will be outside the top 12 at quarterback, though his NFL track record is scant enough that we can’t discount the possibility a 2025 Justin Fields outcome.