Examining the Positive Signs That New Dolphins QB Malik Willis Is Growing Into His Role

Free agency is a risk. Committing big money to a player that a team did not draft and only has limited experience with can lead to some financial disasters that need to be cleaned up.

That’s why when most general managers go into the free agent market to try and find a player to fit their needs, they’re looking for as close to a sure thing as they can find. The problem, of course, is there is no such thing as a sure thing.

Malik Willis was not a sure thing. When the Dolphins signed him this offseason. In fact, there were a lot of questions when the Miami Dolphins gave him a 3-year deal to be their starting quarterback. Willis had some bright moments in Green Bay, but had limited playing experience in his four years as an NFL player.

Willis has started just six games in his NFL career. The Dolphins still felt comfortable giving him a chance to be their starter, even if they knew some development was going to be required. It’s early, but so far, the returns have been encouraging.

New Roles for Willis

One of the challenges that Willis is going to face in Miami that he has not really faced in his NFL career, is being a front facing leader. Willis was a backup in Tennessee and never fully anointed as the starting quarterback.

The same was true in Green Bay. Even if he played well, the Packers were always going to give the keys back to Jordan Love when he was healthy.

It’s hard to learn how to lead when you’re not in a leadership role. It can take time for a quarterback to find his voice, but Willis is working through that. As fictional coach Eric Taylor from the TV series "Friday Night Lights" once told his players, the quarterback is a captain. Willis is learning on the fly as he spoke to the team following practice Friday.

What did Willis' impromptu speech show?

“How much he cared, you know what I'm saying,” Dolphins center Aaron Brewer said. “We want to be perfect, and we were just talking on just the little things, and so him just talking to the team, that just showed how much he cares about the game, how much he cares about the team, how much he cares about us.”

Caring is a good start. Willis wanted to make sure that his team was working through all of the details of the offense together. That led him to speak to the team to try and keep them on track.

“I just wanted to talk to the offense and just have a man-to-man conversation,” Willis said after the practice at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. “Like we've got to understand this is a business and we've got to take what we do personal. We got to take pride in it, and we got to do it to the best of our ability, regardless if we're calling plays to beat the defense or not. We're not calling plays to beat the defense. We're calling plays that we want to use throughout the year, and we're trying to get better at those plays. And whether we win the down or not, are we doing everything that we can do to execute the play call? Are we doing our job on the o-line? Are we doing our job at the receiver? Are you at the right depth regardless if I have to check it down or it's a touchdown? Is everybody doing the right thing? That's what it's about, building confidence in those things. So when we get in those moments and we need them, we just revert to our training.”

Speaking in front of the team and discussing accountability, including his own accountability is an excellent start for growing as a leader.

Performance Still Matters

Leadership is going to be something that’s talked about a bunch after practice and when the players and coaches are facing the media.

The reality also is that any player can have the greatest leadership skills and set the best example for his teammates. If that player does not perform on the field, he’s ultimately going to be jettisoned for someone who will.

Willis has to perform. The Dolphins gave him a nice contract in the offseason. If they have a bad season and Willis is dreadful, nothing is stopping Jon-Eric Sullivan from trying to find the next guy in what is slated to be a good quarterback draft. Willis realistically could be facing a one-year audition.

That’s not the Dolphins’ preference, but it is a possibility. The good news is that Willis has gotten better throughout training camp and is consistently finding ways to raise his game.

There’s no secret that last year’s quarterback room was not good enough in Miami. That’s what prompted their new leadership to move on from Tua Tagovailoa, and try to find the next franchise quarterback in Willis.

The Dolphins quarterbacks threw for 3,314 yards, 23 touchdowns and 18 interceptions a season ago, and they were sacked 38 times.

Willis’ growth throughout camp should lead to optimism that he can surpass the yardage and touchdown numbers from a season ago, while also cutting down on the turnovers.

That would be excellent news for the Dolphins and their fan base. A good season from the quarterback could put the Dolphins in position to accelerate their rebuild with more consistency and confidence oozing out of their starting quarterback.

“Just more consistent, the confidence and he's just getting more comfortable,” head coach Jeff Hafley said. “The ball's coming out quicker. He's throwing more on his first hitch than being late on his throws. He's starting to have a better relationship with the guys. We're only through a handful of practices, but he's already grabbing guys on the side talking to him. If a guy drops the ball, he's encouraging him. You can see him and Malik (Washington) are on the sideline talking about routes, how to do this, how to do that, what the defense is playing. I just think he's getting more comfortable.”

It’s early. Training camp is still in its early stages, but so far the returns on Willis have been encouraging.

Add us as a preferred source on Google