The Dolphins’ Week 5 loss became a talking point for Malik Willis, and he wasn’t buying the idea that he gave the Bengals an edge with his ball handling. Bengals S Jordan Battle had suggested Willis’ taps before throwing were a tell, but Willis pushed back hard, saying the interceptions came from the defense making plays - not from any pattern he was giving away.
“That’s not a tell, he caught tipped balls. Good for him, that’s what defenses are supposed to do at this level,” Willis said, via Pro Football Talk.
“They battled a ball down and the second one was a scramble drill mishap. That has nothing to do with tells.
I don’t think I patted either one of those. I don’t think those are correlated.”
He added that he didn’t put much stock in the discussion at all.
“I didn’t think much of it. Everybody pats the ball.
That’s funny. Really funny.”
On the Jets side, Azareye’h Thomas is seeing the game differently in his second season. The 2025 third-round pick said the pace has eased up for him, and his confidence has followed suit.
“Just the game slowing down way, way, way, way more,” Thomas said, via Jack Bell of the team’s site. “Like my confidence level.
Last year I was kind of hesitating. This year I’m seeing things.
I’m going. I’m hitting it, and that’s one thing I’m proud of.
And my coaches have put me in some great positions to go out there and make plays, have put us all in great positions to go out there and make plays, and so that’s the biggest jump for sure. Speed of the game.”
Jets HC Aaron Glenn said Thomas has shown he can handle both man and zone responsibilities, and that more reps are only sharpening that skill set.
“I think when he first came out and I spoke about AZ, that was one of the things that I talked about, that he’s able to go up and play man coverage and play press man coverage,” Glenn said. “But also, he has the intelligence to be able to go out there and play zone.
He understands what the landmarks are. He understands where his help is.
And man, the more reps that he gets, the better and better he’s getting. Also, I like exactly where he’s at, he’s a big man [6-1, 197] that can run, and again, he’s intelligent enough to be able to play man and zone.”
Thomas pointed back to the coaches for helping him settle in from the start.
“My coaches put me in great positions, and this has started since OTAs going through installing our playbook, just getting us all comfortable in the scheme and the system,” Thomas said. “You can play fast.”
In Other News...
Malik Willis Keeps Ignoring One Dolphins Fix They Clearly Need
Through five games of the 2026 season, Malik Willis has given the Dolphins enough to work with at quarterback, but his decision-making has also left a clear opening in the offense. One of the easiest ways to clean that up should be right in front of him. Miamis tight ends have been involved in the game plan, and Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek have both helped the unit in different ways, yet the passing game has not leaned on that group nearly enough.
That matters because the Dolphins have a position room that can help open things up if Willis and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik are willing to use it more consistently. Dulcich has flashed as a receiver, while Kacmarek has mostly been asked to do the dirty work, and the balance there suggests Miami has more room to grow on offense than it has shown so far. The question is whether Willis will start trusting the middle of the field more often, or keep leaving one of the teams clearest fixes on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Ownership Just Got More Crowded Than Many Fans Realize
Stephen Ross has continued to widen the circle around the Dolphins, recently agreeing to sell a small minority stake in the franchise to Jean Eric Salata, pending approval. It is the latest sign that Miamis ownership structure has become a little more layered over time, with Ross bringing in outside capital while still holding the principal role that has defined the teams modern era.
Salata would join a long list of recognizable investors who already have ties to the Dolphins, a group that has included Ares Management, Lin Bin, Joe Tsai and Oliver Weisberg, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Serena and Venus Williams, Marc Anthony, and Fergie. For fans, the takeaway is less about boardroom mechanics than the breadth of names attached to the franchise now, and how much more crowded that ownership picture has become. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Defense Has A 2027 Roster Squeeze Fans Can Already See
By mid-October, the Dolphins defensive depth chart already reads like a long view exercise, with contract status, cap figures and free-agency timelines all pointing toward the same question: who is still around when 2027 rolls in? The roster includes a mix of waiver claims, draft picks, undrafted free agents and players currently on injured reserve, which makes the next couple of offseasons feel less like housekeeping and more like a full-scale evaluation of how long this group can stay intact.
The tension is in the margins, where several defenders look like they could be here for the short term rather than the long haul. Miamis front and secondary still have pieces that matter now, but the early outlook suggests the Dolphins may face some tough calls before they get anywhere near 2027, especially with a few veterans and depth options carrying uncertain futures. [Read more 🡒]