Malik Willis is getting a fresh start in Miami, and one of the people who watched his revival up close in Green Bay is already sounding bullish on what comes next.
Jeff Hafley, who spent time with Willis during his run with the Packers and is now the Dolphins’ head coach, said he believes the quarterback is ready for the next step. Hafley saw Willis spend most of his Packers stint behind Jordan Love, but he also saw the flashes that made him think the former Liberty star can handle the job in Miami.
“Improvement and the confidence that I talked about. I believe in Malik. I believe him as a person and I believe in Malik as a player and I watch him sit in the pocket and throw the ball well and I watch him use his legs and throw the ball on the run down the field and you know there’s going to be some ups and downs,” Hafley said when asked by Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show on what he thinks will success look like for Willis.
Hafley didn’t sugarcoat what usually comes with a quarterback stepping into a bigger role for the first time.
“I mean, that’s just going to be the natural occurrence for a guy who’s really starting his first year. It’s almost like a rookie year for him. There’s going to be his ups and downs.
I want to see improvement, and I want to see confidence, and I want to see leadership, and I want to see some moments where he’s capable of taking over a game, which I truly believe that he’s going to do but it’s going to be okay when he makes mistakes and I’m going to have his back because we’re all going to make mistakes. But we got to learn from them, or else they won’t count.
So those are the things that I’m looking forward to seeing him do, and I am excited. I’m excited for everybody to see what this kid’s capable of doing.”
Willis signed with Miami in March to become the team’s starter, moving out from under the shadow of Love after rebuilding his career in Green Bay. His path there looked very different from his first two NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans, which did not go smoothly.
In Green Bay, though, the numbers told a much better story. Willis went 2-1 as a starter, threw for 972 yards and six touchdowns without an interception, and added 261 rushing yards, three rushing scores and 15 first downs on 42 carries across 11 appearances.
Hafley’s own new challenge is a big one. Miami has won just 15 games and missed the playoffs over the last two seasons, and the 47-year-old arrives after the Dolphins split with Mike McDaniel. Hafley returned to the NFL and served as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator from 2024 to 2025 after a coaching stint with Boston College.
In Other News...
Packers Address A Secondary Concern With A New Depth Move
The Packers are making a quiet move to shore up the back end of their defense, bringing in free agent safety Trey Dean III after a workout with the team. Dean, a former Florida Gators standout, has spent time with the Jets practice squad and also carries experience from championship-level environments, giving Green Bay another name to plug into a room that already features Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams as the projected starters for 2026.
For a team that has already settled on its top two safeties, this is the kind of depth addition that can matter over the course of a season. Deans path has taken him through multiple NFL stops and into winning locker rooms, which gives the Packers a veteran layer behind their starting tandem as they continue sorting out the rest of the secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Face A Josh Jacobs Problem They Cant Ignore
Josh Jacobs has become central enough to the Packers offense that any interruption in his availability changes the way Green Bay has to think about a week of game planning. Coming off a season in which he piled up 929 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, Jacobs gives the offense a dependable downhill presence, and the club does not exactly have a deep room waiting to absorb the workload if he is sidelined.
Green Bay is already looking at MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong Jr. as the next options up, which only underscores how much pressure the backfield now faces. For a team that has leaned on Jacobs as a key offensive piece, the bigger question is not simply who gets the carries next, but how long the Packers have to operate without their top runner in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Camp Depth Chart Just Turned Up Pressure On Key Position Battles
The first unofficial depth chart of Packers training camp arrived with the usual caveat that it is only a snapshot, but even a snapshot can tell you where the pressure points are. Green Bay used it to sort out the early pecking order across offense, defense and special teams, and a few of the decisions stood out immediately, from the cornerback setup to the return game. The club also put Skyy Moore at the top of the punt and kick return chart, a sign that special teams will be tracked closely as camp rolls on.
Up front, the most eye-catching line came on the offensive line, where Anthony Belton was listed first at right guard, adding another layer to a spot that has felt unsettled. On the other side of the ball, Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks were placed ahead of Javon Hargrave on the defensive line, an early marker in a competition that figures to draw plenty of attention before the preseason games begin. For a Packers roster built with several jobs still up for grabs, the first chart does not settle anything, but it does put a few veterans and newcomers squarely on notice. [Read more 🡒]