The Miami Dolphins did not build this season around Malik Willis by accident. They moved into the year knowing Tua Tagovailoa was getting paid to be elsewhere, and they had to squeeze value out of every move after that. In Willis, they found the quarterback who made the most sense for a team trying to survive while it resets around him.
That bet looks even smarter now than it did when Miami made it. Through three weeks, the NFL has turned into a revolving door at quarterback, and Adam Schefter pointed out that six teams - the Commanders, Seahawks, Giants, Bears, Falcons and Vikings - will have started multiple quarterbacks by the end of Week 3. That’s the most through three weeks since 2019.
So while other teams are scrambling, the Dolphins are at least settled at the most important spot. That matters in a year like this, especially when Miami has already stripped down the roster and traded away Jaylen Waddle for an extra first-round pick that became cornerback Chris Johnson.
Willis isn’t walking into comfort. He’s walking into a rebuild that leaves very little margin for error, and maybe very little chance of stacking up more than a couple of wins.
But that’s part of what makes this fit work. Miami needed a quarterback who wouldn’t flinch at the mess.
There are plenty of examples around the league that show how unstable things already are. The Bears had to go to 38-year-old third-stringer Case Keenum on Monday Night Football, and he responded with a strong showing in a 27-7 win over the Eagles.
Marcus Mariota stepped in for Jayden Daniels, threw three touchdowns against Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning defense, and helped the Commanders get their first win of the season. Drew Lock has already played well for Seattle and helped them win twice with Sam Darnold out.
Still, none of that guarantees those situations hold up. And it’s fair to wonder whether a different veteran - someone like Cooper Rush, Jameis Winston or Carson Wentz - would be any better equipped to handle what Miami is asking of Willis.
What the Dolphins are banking on is more than arm talent. Willis has the big arm, the running ability and the physical tools to make plays. Just as important, they believe he can take the punishment that comes with being the face of a stripped-down roster.
That belief comes with backing from inside the football world, too. Retired left tackle Terron Armstead said:
"I really like Malik Willis. He’s improving weekly, competes his a** off, fast as hell, big arm and plays without fear. Has a lot of room for growth as an all-around QB but the talent is there and this year of reps will give the front office great insight."
There’s also a long view to all of this. Willis is on a three-year deal that gives him at least two seasons to show what he can do.
If he plays well enough, he could become trade bait. If he doesn’t, Miami can still move on without much awkwardness and draft another quarterback while keeping him in the bridge role.
And if the Dolphins choose to keep building around him, the timing could still work in their favor. A stronger 2027 roster would give them more cap space and more flexibility to add talent around him. The organization could even use the next few drafts to chase a different premium player early, then still find quarterback help later if needed.
There’s another layer here, too: the 2027 quarterback class is expected to be strong, and Miami’s front office history with Green Bay suggests Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan would be comfortable letting a young quarterback sit and develop. They know Willis from their time with the Packers, and that familiarity clearly mattered.
For now, the numbers are modest. Willis has a 74.1 passer rating through three starts.
De’Von Achane is now out for the season. The rest of the year is going to be a grind.
But the Dolphins didn’t need perfect. They needed steady, tough and inexpensive enough to make the whole plan work. In a league where quarterback situations are already unraveling all over the place, Miami’s Malik Willis move suddenly looks like one of the cleaner bets on the board.
In Other News...
Dolphins Secondary Shakeup Reveals Who Jeff Hafley Trusts Right Now
The first three weeks of Miamis 2026 season have already brought a noticeable reshaping of the roster and the snap counts, and the defensive secondary is one of the clearest places to see it. Head coach Jeff Hafley has started sorting out who he trusts in the back end, with safeties Dante Trader Jr. and Michael Taaffe handling every defensive snap in Week 3 while Zayne Anderson was reduced to special teams duty.
Julius Woods role was also worth watching, since he got on the field in a nickel/corner look for the first time. For a team in rebuild mode, those kinds of usage shifts matter because they can quickly reveal which young defenders are moving up the depth chart and which combinations Hafley wants to keep testing as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Already Have A Problem Fans Will Put On Harbaugh
Early-season 0-3 starts always force a hard look at where things have gone sideways, and the Dolphins are part of a strange little group already feeling that pressure alongside Houston, the Chargers, Tampa Bay and Tennessee. In Miamis case, the conversation is less about a single bad quarter than the broader mix of injuries, offensive issues and defensive inconsistency that can turn a promising team into one chasing answers before the calendar has really settled.
For the Dolphins, the concern is not just the record but how quickly a season can start to feel like it is slipping away when so many pieces are not quite holding together. The same theme runs through the leagues other winless starts, with different teams blamed for different reasons, but Miamis challenge is more familiar than dramatic: getting healthy, getting cleaner and finding a level of play that keeps the losses from piling up any further. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Backfield Suddenly Has One Huge Question After Achane Injury
DeVon Achanes season-ending ACL injury after Week 3 leaves the Dolphins with a very different look in the backfield, and it comes at a time when the offense was still settling in. Miami now has to shift from leaning on one of its most dynamic playmakers to finding a workable committee, with the workload set to be split between Ollie Gordon II and Jaylen Wright for the rest of the season.
Wright is expected back from injury soon, which makes the next stretch especially important for Miamis ground game. Starting in Week 4, the Dolphins plan to divide carries between the two backs, but the bigger question is whether that arrangement can give the offense enough stability without Achanes burst and versatility driving the attack. [Read more 🡒]