The Miami Dolphins are 0-4, but Sunday’s 15-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings didn’t land as another empty step backward. It was messy, penalty-filled football, the kind of game that usually leaves nothing behind except frustration. Yet for a roster that’s the league’s youngest, there were still small signs that this rebuild is doing more than spinning its wheels.
That doesn’t change the biggest question hanging over the season: what exactly is Miami getting from Malik Willis?
Willis, who signed with the Dolphins as a free agent this offseason, is still the central figure in the team’s long-term quarterback debate. Is he the answer for years to come, or is he just holding down the job while Miami prepares to chase its real future quarterback with an early 2027 draft pick?
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald didn’t soften his assessment after four games. He called Willis’s play simply “not good enough.” At the same time, Jackson added, “during fleeting moments, tantalizing enough to not totally rule out the possibility that he could become [a franchise quarterback].”
That tension has defined the first month. There have been flashes that keep the door cracked open - the arm strength, the escapability, the athleticism, the ability to make throws on the move. Those are the traits that make it hard to completely walk away from the idea that Willis could still grow into something more.
But four games is still a tiny sample, especially with other players around him also underperforming or not being good enough themselves.
Even so, Miami is still waiting for the performance that makes the answer obvious. The game where the Dolphins walk away and say, “we have our guy!”
Or at least, “I think we do.” A month into the season, that moment still hasn’t arrived.
Jackson also broke down Willis’s outing in the loss to Minnesota and where his numbers stand through the first four games.
The Dolphins’ loss also came with a handful of other storylines around the roster. Rookie Jacob Rodriguez drew attention with his play against the Vikings, and Miami dressed nine rookies for the game. The ground attack also offered a bit of encouragement despite the absence of De’Von Achane, whose season ended with a left ACL tear.
On the other side of the matchup, the Vikings defense brought its own familiar face into the picture. Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores, now Minnesota’s defensive coordinator, spent time before kickoff talking with coaches and staff still in Miami from his time running the team.
The result was another defeat, but not an empty one. For a Dolphins team trying to grow inside a rebuild, the record is ugly. The process, at least on some level, is starting to show a few cracks of progress.
In Other News...
Tyreek Hills Next Move Could Hit Dolphins Fans Hard
Tyreek Hills recovery has become one of the more closely watched NFL storylines for Dolphins fans, and the calendar now points toward a possible November return. The veteran receiver is working back from the serious knee injury he suffered while playing for Miami, a setback that ended his season and changed the outlook around his future. He was released by the Dolphins in February 2026 while still rehabbing, leaving his next step tied entirely to how he progresses physically.
Kansas City is already being mentioned as a landing spot once Hill is healthy, which gives the situation an especially familiar twist for both the player and the teams involved. Sources say the Chiefs have strong interest in a reunion, and several current players are reportedly on board with the idea, adding another layer to a comeback that could reshape the late-season market. For Miami, it is a reminder that Hills next move may not just be about football health, but about where one of the leagues most recognizable playmakers chooses to finish his return. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins May Have A New Lead Back While Achane Is Out
Ollie Gordon IIs role changed before Miamis game against the Vikings, when he was moved to backup running back, but the rookie still wound up making the kind of case the Dolphins needed to see with DeVon Achane sidelined. Gordon delivered his first career 100-yard rushing game, added a touchdown and ran with the kind of power that stood out on a night when Miamis ground game needed a lift.
Jaylen Wright got the start in Week 4, but the Dolphins did not get much traction there, and the overall rushing attack has been under strain with key players missing. Gordons emergence gives Miami a more physical option in the backfield while Achane is out, and it at least gives the staff something useful to sort through as it looks for the right answer on the ground. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Showed Promise In Another Loss But One Problem Wont Go Away
The Dolphins Week 4 loss was another frustrating result on the scoreboard, but it also offered a glimpse of a defense and supporting cast trying to hold things together through a wave of absences. Rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez stood out with 18 tackles, the most by any Miami player in a game this season, while Ollie Gordon and Zach Sieler also turned in noteworthy efforts as the team searched for answers in a 15-10 defeat.
Still, the encouraging signs were hard to separate from the familiar problems that keep surfacing. Jason Marshall and Austin Jackson had rough stretches, and the special teams unit again created too many issues for a team that cant afford extra mistakes. Miami can point to the effort and some individual progress, but until one persistent area gets cleaned up, close games are likely to keep slipping away. [Read more 🡒]