How Willis Is Wasting No Time Setting the Tone

Malik Willis is the new sheriff in town for the Miam Dolphins.

The Dolphins signed him this offseason to a three-year contract worth $67 million dollars to bring them out of the depths of their rebuild, and into playoff contention.

Willis showed a plethora of skills on the field while he resurrected his career in Green Bay each of the last two seasons, but the best quarterbacks in football can do things beyond what can be measured. Sometimes, the intangible is more important than the tangible. Whether it’s Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Joe Montana, the all-time greats typically are talked about as people who are able to lead and inspire a group of men.

Fictional coach Eric Taylor of the popular television "Friday Night Lights" once told his backup quarterback Matt Saracen that a quarterback is a captain.

Fair or not, that is the situation that Willis is stepping into, and it’s imperative that he continue to get the buy-in from his teammates as the leader of the team.

One way to do that is to put in extra effort. That sounds like something that should be obvious to anyone who wants to be one of the top players at the top of his profession, but that’s not always the case.

Even as Tom Brady racked up one championship after another, he rarely was seen taking undue time off.

If Brady is not too good to do extra things for offseason programming, then neither is anybody else.

WILLIS SHOWING THE WAY

Willis is making sure that no stone is going to be left unturned as he enters his first year in Miami.

He’s not a rookie, but he at least made a point to come to rookie camp for the Dolphins to start developing a rapport with his teammates.

The Dolphins have three rookie receivers, and meeting his pass catchers early could be something that allows Willis and the offense to hit the ground running. Of course, that’s not the only time that Willis has been out in front of going the extra mile for his team this offseason.

Willis has been throwing passes this offseason to one of the veteran receivers on his team, Jalen Tolbert, and has built a relationship with Malik Washington.

The Dolphins did not make a move for a high-priced veteran receiver after trading Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos, which makes getting in tune with those who are still on the roster even more paramount.

Tolbert and Washington, along with Tutu Atwell, are the veterans on the roster, and they could be who Willis leans on as the rookies they drafted get up to speed on being an NFL player.

"Oh, yeah. I mean, I feel like he's come in right away and felt like he's always been here," Washington said to Miami reporters earlier in the offseason. "He's done a great job of just connecting with all of us and bringing us in whether it's through a walkthrough or just stretching together, getting some throws in. So I think early on, man, we've all connected with him and been able to build a good relationship."

He’s continued to follow that trend by having more than 20 players come to the facility for an extra throwing session last weekend.

Again, a small thing, but something that could pay big dividends down the road as Willis works toward becoming a slam-dunk franchise quarterback.

The Real Malik

The building is noticing Willis’ commitment to excellence, including his quarterback coach Hush Hamdan.

"I just feel he's always the first one in the building, the last one to leave," Hamdan said last week when Miami assistant coaches met with the media. "I think certainly already in the community, he's normally the one pushing to do the right thing.

"I think it's authentic. It's believable. I don't know if you guys have had a lot of time to spend with him, but he's just as good a human being as I've been around in the game. And so I think he knows exactly who he is. Cares about his teammates, not just from a setting of it's going to make him play better, but I think because he realizes you don't get these opportunities often. And so I think he's done a tremendous job of rallying the guys, all the guys, regardless of where they're from, what position they play. And that's been a big thing for us as we start in the season."

That authenticity is something that will shine through to his teammates. NFL players are quick to be able to spot who is putting in the work because it’s the right thing to do as opposed to doing it for performative purposes.

Willis grabbing the respect of his teammates is not anything new. Willis drew rave reviews even before coming to Miami for this aspect of his game. He’s a hard worker, intelligent, and able to get up to speed quickly.

The greatest evidence of that came in Willis’ first two starts as a member of the Packers. Willis was acquired at the end of August to be Jordan Love’s backup. Less than three weeks later he was asked to play in a system he had just started to learn, and lead his team to a win.

The Packers went 2-0 in Willis’ two starts in 2024, and he was a big reason they made the playoffs for playing as well as he did when Love missed time due to injury.

The Dolphins’ current brass saw Willis’ coming out party up close and personal, which was a big reason they were confident enough to bring him to Miami.

Willis’ job is now to prove that he was worth the investment. Ultimately, he’ll be judged by whether he plays well and the Dolphins win.

For now, however, he’s taking every step possible toward becoming the quarterback the Dolphins and their fan base hopes he can be.

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