Malik Willis has spent five weeks giving the Dolphins all the ammunition they need to start thinking about what comes next at quarterback.
Jeff Hafley can keep backing him up and softening the edges around the criticism, but the production isn’t moving in the right direction. Week by week, Willis has looked worse, not better, and the excuses that once made sense are starting to wear thin.
The line has been blamed. The receivers have been blamed.
The idea that he’s here to “change the culture” has been floated, too. But at some point, the spotlight has to land on Willis himself.
Week 5 was another rough chapter. Miami got solid work from its running game, and the blocking wasn’t a disaster.
None of that changed the fact that Willis was the problem. The only area where he really moved the offense was on the ground, and everything else was a slog.
That makes the looming conversation in Miami impossible to avoid. There’s already debate about whether the Dolphins should use their first-round pick in the 2027 draft on a quarterback or maybe Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith.
Sure, some will argue that Willis would look better with a premium receiver. But he has to hit the basic throws first.
The first-half interceptions were ugly. The three passes into the endzone early in the second half were even worse.
Five weeks in, Willis still isn’t seeing open receivers, and he’s still too slow with the ball when he needs to get it out. Instead of punishing busted coverage, he’s giving defenses time to recover.
This version of Willis looked a lot closer to the player he was with the Titans than the three-game starter Green Bay once had. His best stretch came when the Bengals were up 28-10 and their defense loosened up. That was enough to make the outing feel slightly more respectable on paper, but only because he played like a backup quarterback.
His Week 5 stat line won’t scream disaster beyond the two interceptions, but the timing told the real story. He didn’t find any rhythm until midway through the fourth quarter, long after the game had already gotten away. The TD throw to Kevin Coleman trimmed the margin to 10, but by then it was too late to matter.
Dolphins fans already know 2026 isn’t going to be a win-heavy season. Willis will have that full year to try to figure things out and show he can be consistent.
But Jon-Eric Sullivan can’t go into next season pretending the position is solved. Whether it’s with the first pick or the second, he needs to land on a player who can grow into a franchise quarterback.
Five games may not be enough to say Willis won’t be that guy. But it’s not just five games.
What he did with the Titans and Packers has to count, too.
In Other News...
Dolphins Rebuild Is Putting These Two Young Guards Under The Microscope
Miamis early-season stumble has only sharpened the focus on the interior of its offensive line, and two young guards are drawing most of the attention. With the team off to an 0-4 start, the Dolphins are treating the development of Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea as part of the bigger rebuild, looking for signs that the group can grow into something sturdier as the season goes on. Both have flashed enough to keep the staff interested, even if the results have been uneven.
Proctor has been the more eye-catching case in terms of raw ability, while Savaiinaea has shown the cleaner trajectory after settling into his second year. The evaluations have not been uniform, but the larger view remains encouraging, with coaches and analysts seeing enough progress to believe both players can matter to Miami down the line, even as the week-to-week scrutiny keeps getting tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Gave Bengals A Read Dolphins Fans Will Hate
The Bengals got a close look at Malik Willis, and Jordan Battle came away convinced there was something in the quarterbacks mechanics that helped Cincinnati sit on passes. Battle said Willis had a tell before releasing the ball, a small giveaway the defense picked up on, and the result was a disruptive afternoon for the Bengals secondary. Miami fans will recognize why that matters, because any hint that a defense can read a quarterback before the throw is the kind of thing that can travel fast.
Battle turned that awareness into production, intercepting Willis twice and helping Cincinnati force three turnovers in the game. The safety now leads the league with three interceptions on the season, which only adds to the intrigue for Dolphins observers who are watching how opposing defenses are diagnosing quarterbacks around the league. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Will Love Whos Bringing The Energy Sunday
Miamis matchup with Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon will have a different feel in the booth, with FOX turning to Eric Collins and Mark Schlereth for the call. Collins, best known as the play-by-play voice of the Charlotte Hornets, has already built a reputation for bringing plenty of energy to whatever he covers, and that has made him an appealing name for fans who like their broadcasts with a little extra life.
Collins also has at least some recent NFL experience, having called a game last season, which only adds to the curiosity around this assignment. He may not be FOXs top announcing duo, but Dolphins fans have already shown plenty of interest in hearing him handle another one of their games, and this one should have no shortage of attention before the opening kickoff. [Read more 🡒]