Hafley: Willis may run more ‘when we need him to’

Willis also lost a fumble late in the second quarter. Willis made some of his best throws of the season this afternoon, though the two turnovers were also his first of the year. He also missed impressive rookie Chris Bell on what could have been a pair long-ish touchdowns. He was at least running more after combining for just eight carries between Weeks 1 and 2. That is going to remain a must, especially now with De’Von Achane being waylaid with a serious knee injury. That will further change the face of this undermanned offense, and make things even harder for Willis in this no-win setup. Despite his intriguing young wideouts, he will be difficult to trust as a superflex option vs. the Vikings’ blitz-happy defense in Week 4.

Willis was also held to just six yards on the ground as the 49ers’ defensive line was in his face all game long. 77 of Willis’ 197 passing yards came on one busted coverage pass to Ryan Miller in garbage time against defensive backups. There was a belief that Willis would provide fantasy value because of his talent as a runner, but the Dolphins offense has been so bad through two games that we’d find it hard to recommend playing Willis outside of the deepest two quarterback leagues.

Willis practiced in full all week, so his toe injury should not be an issue against the 49ers. The Dolphins’ quarterback told reporters this week that he is focused on taking fewer sacks moving forward. As his team fell farther behind on the scoreboard last week, Willis began holding onto the ball for far too long. Getting the ball out quickly or throwing on the run could help.

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 popped up on the Dolphins’ injury report with a toe injury, though he was a full practice participant. This indicates the issue is minor enough for the 27-year-old to keep practicing at full strength. Note down Willis’ toe issue, but expect him to be back out there for Week 2 against the 49ers.

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.