Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: Setting the Record Straight With Willis

Third and final part of a Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag on the first weekend after the 2026 offseason program:

From dolphman99:

H Alain, if this season was to be a true rebuild, why did the new GM and head coach sign Malik Willis to the contract they gave him? They should have gone with Ewers as the starter. After the OTAs, it’s looking like this may be a QB competition battle between Willis and Ewers. Miami could have used that money tying up Willis to solidify another area on the team. They have a tough schedule this year and if a QB of the future is needed could have a selection of 8 QBs in next year’s draft. I’m hoping Willis will look much better in training camp and the preseason but not looking good.

I’ll start by asking where you’re getting your information that Willis looked bad in the spring practices and suggest you find somebody to trust who actually was there to see it. I’d follow up there by telling you that if anybody thought he’d light it up in spring practices (when defenses always are ahead of the offenses) with a bunch of newcomers and young players, that was borderline ridiculous. He looked perfectly fine and I’ll add something else, there is zero, zip, nada, nilch QB competition coming up for the starting job. None. The Dolphins didn’t sign Willis just to get through the 2026 season and maybe 2027, they did it because Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley believe there’s a chance he could be a legit franchise quarterback and $45 million guaranteed over two years wasn’t a crazy price to explore that.

From St_Double_K:

Based on offseason work, which rookies look like they're poised to make the biggest impact?

The first two answers here shouldn’t be surprise anyone because it’s the top two picks, Kadyn Proctor and Chris Johnson. After that, I wouldn’t sleep on Will Kacmarek because of the role he’s going to play in what very well might become a run-oriented offense.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

Way too early prediction for most likely UDFA to make the 53?

Hey Dana, I’ll start off by saying it wouldn’t shock me if no UDFA made the 53 because of the amount of draft picks. Having said that, it’s a toss-up for me with safety Louis Moore and defensive tackle Rene Konga, with Moore slightly in the lead.

From SAC:

Thoughts on this WR room assessment? “The wide receiver (WR) position is widely considered the weakest on the Miami Dolphins’ roster heading into the 2026 season. Following a complete roster tear-down and the departure of top stars, sports analysts and sportsbooks project Miami to have one of the least proven pass-catching groups in modern history.”

Yeah, I saw that analysis and it’s a little overboard for me. And that’s not saying this will be a great group, but Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell and Malik Washington have done enough that we should know who they are as wide receivers. The unproven guys are the three draft picks, but then we could go back and look at other teams who have had two or three rookie wide receivers, no?

From The Man The Myth:

Who is the RB2 and how will they be used? I need to know more about this power run game that we’ve been deprived of for years.

I would suspect Ollie Gordon II will wind up being RB2, but still expect De’Von Achane to be far and away the biggest factor in the run game. And I’m not sure about this whole “power run game” idea when the scheme basically is the same and it’s still an outside zone team.

GAY, BROOKS AND A WEATHER RANT

From Rich McQuillen:

I heard that Hafley prefers a 4-3 base defense. A typical 4-3 defense has an SLB. I see the 2 SLBs Willie Gay and Trey Moore on the roster, plus a bunch of Edge and LBs. Do you think this places Willie Gay in the lead for a starting SLB spot, with Chubb/Phillips gone?

Hey Rich, Jeff Hafley likes doing a lot of different things ideally with the same players, so I wouldn’t get too hung up on terms. I also think there’ll be an awful lot of nickel packages, which provides that kind of flexibility. When they do go with a traditional 4-3 look, yes, I believe Willie Gay Jr. would be the front-runner to start at the SAM position.

From Mike Jones:

Bit of a rant. Under 40 degrees at kickoff, the Dolphins are 25-47 all time. The Bucs are 2-23. The Jags are 4-9. Real info. Perhaps it isn't about being soft. Perhaps it’s simply impossible for players who live and practice sub-tropical climate to perform in cold weather? Which leads me to a follow-up point. Fins division is ridiculous. 3 trips a year to the coldest region in the NFL for the southernmost team. And this year's schedule, all 3 division rivals avoid the hottest months. However, Miami scheduled to play in coldest months!

All I’ll add to what really is more a statement than a question is the fact the Dolphins had the chance to get out of the AFC East with the realignment of 2002 when Houston came into the NFL and could have been in the AFC South with the Texans, Jaguars and Titans but, as has been reported, didn’t want to give up the rivalries with the Bills, Jets and Patriots.

From Greenview Construction:

Do you think Brooks would sign for an added year? That gives the youngsters a year to get up to speed, assuming this would be Dodson last year.

Brooks, like every established star, wants long-term security and adding a year to his contract wouldn’t provide that. If he can’t get a long-term deal to his liking with Miami, he’s way more likely to just play out the final year of his contract in 2026 and go to free agency next spring.

From plane lenny:

What are the Fins doing to address special teams needs? I have a feeling that the kicking and return game will be needed heavily this season.

Hey Lenny, not sure yet what will be done in terms of personnel, but I can tell you they spent way more time on special teams in practice during the spring than I ever can recall.

From FinsUpMass:

What should the team do about Brooks if Rodriguez is legit in camp? I imagine Dodson is cheaper to keep and Brooks has value. With all the holes, makes no since in crowding one room. Thanks!

There’s never anything wrong with having too much depth at one spot, but if Rodriguez is lights-out, can’t-keep-him-off-the-field good in camp, then maybe that does prompt the Dolphins to see what they can get from Brooks in a trade offer, which still remains a possibility because of his contract situation.

FOCUS ON YOUNG PLAYERS

From Ross Jones:

I’m not expecting too much from this team this year. Hope to see a QB develop, OL start to take shape, and young players grow and compete well. What would you consider a successful year?

Hey Ross, you pretty much nailed it right here. The 2026 season for me is about establishing a foundation for future success, and that means finding a good number of players who can form a good nucleus and setting a way of doing things that can lead to a championship. Oh, and hopefully it would include Malik Willis proving he can be a franchise QB.

From GreenMachine:

I may be late, but which rookie linebacker do you see having the most significant role? I think people are not giving enough thought to Trey Moore's role.

That’s a great question, but I have a hard time thinking Moore will get a bigger role than Rodriguez (because of his playmaking) or Louis (because of his unique coverage skills).

From Harrt:

If there are near zero bites on Diggs, now that he’s clear with the NFL, do you think there’s any chance he’s offered a team-friendly one-year-prove-it deal?

The Dolphins are not in a place as an organization where adding Diggs makes a lot of sense when player development is the primary object. Diggs is perfect for a team that needs someone or something to get it over the top. Besides, why would Diggs want to play for a team that’s highly unlikely to sniff the playoffs in 2026.

From Jason Kirkland:

Hi Alain, we all appreciate the GOAT doing weekly mailbags. I think that some of the guys that are standing out now will disappear in joint practices. It's easy to stand out now, the other side of the ball isn't that talented. Your thoughts?

Hey Jason, that happens every year and it’s why it’s always difficult to truly evaluate what the Dolphins have in terms of personnel. Another factor is the idea that every different step of the lead-up to the regular season involves a higher level of intensity that changes the game a bit, so a training camp practice is more significant than a spring practice and a joint practice is more intense than both.

COACHES WHO GOT AWAY, THE BREWER SIGNING PICTURE

From Mark Malbeck:

Hey Alain, a little different question. Which head coach that Miami let go over the past 20 years do you wish the team kept? My first choice would be Dan Campbell followed by Todd Bowles. I don’t think either one of those two were given a fair chance to build their team.

Hey Mark, those are two really good names and I thought both should have been given a shot as well, even though I do believe Campbell absolutely benefited from his apprenticeship under Sean Payton in New Orleans. I also would add Darren Rizzi as somebody I would have liked get a shot when he interviewed for the head-coaching position.

From Brandon Quinn:

As someone who reads too much into everything, was Austin Jackson simply not in the building the other day, or is there another reason Brewer didn’t have him in the room for that extension signing? Optics are pretty weird when you have 4/5 of the starting line in there, no? Thanks as always, you’re the best in the game.

Thanks Brandon, yeah, it did have a bit of an odd look, but here are factors at play: first, it may be that it was the young guys who really wanted to be there for the leader of the line; second, this happened on the last day of OTAs, so I’d assume Jackson was in the facility that day but it also was voluntary, so there’s no guarantee; and third, would anybody blame Jackson for not wanting to publicly celebrate a teammate’s new extension after he was asked (and accepted) to take a pay cut this year? Having said all that, we don’t know the exact reason.

From SciGuy17:

Alain, why do we say edge now? It seems edge is comprised of both DE and OLB, but not every guy can play both. Some are definitely DE or OLB. It's very confusing when we acquire a new guy, where he'll actually play. I know DLs in general cover sometimes, but that's more of a surprise tactic.

It’s a matter of semantics, really. An edge basically is an outside linebacker and those players generally will do everything from rushing the passer to dropping into coverage to setting the edge against the run. The Dolphins roster lists players as DL, EDGE or ILB, so yeah, your EDGE players basically are DE/OLB.

From JCEsq:

Can you give me your top 3 reasons that Miami can win more than 3 games? I look at the roster, the schedule, and I honestly can't see more than 3. In fact, if they lose to the Raiders, I'm having trouble seeing more than 2.

Why are you boiling everything down to the teams they’re facing? And even then, every single year produces teams that aren’t nearly as good as they were supposed to be and vice versa. So just because on paper right now logic says the Dolphins aren’t as good as, what, 12 of their 14 opponents doesn’t mean they’ll lose all those games. With that, I could see the Dolphins beating the Raiders, the Jets once or twice, maybe Minnesota if neither of their quarterback pans out, maybe the Colts and then maybe they pull off an upset or two. As for more tangible reasons, maybe Malik Willis proves as good as hoped or better and steals a game or two, maybe the running game takes off, maybe Jeff Hafley puts together a defense that baffles opponents. You just don’t know.

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