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What the Tape Says About New Dolphins QB Malik Willis

The Dolphins' new quarterback put together some impressive reps last season
Dante Collinelli|
Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) throws during the third quarter of their game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday, December 27, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) throws during the third quarter of their game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday, December 27, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have a new franchise quarterback. 

The deal can’t become official until Wednesday, but the Dolphins will be signing former Green Bay Packers QB Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million deal with $45 million guaranteed. 

There will be plenty of time to debate the merits and strategy of the signing. That’s not what we’re discussing. Instead, we’re looking at Willis’ on-field performance to see what the Dolphins are getting. 

Willis had just 47 dropbacks last season (six career starts), but there’s a lot of information packed into those reps. 

Let’s dive into what Willis does well and where he’ll have to continue growing to become Miami’s long-term, franchise QB. 

Malik Willis’ Strengths 

Arm Talent 

The most obvious trait when watching Willis play is his arm talent. He’s capable of generating impressive velocity from all areas of the field, and when there is pressure in his face. 

Watch how the ball explodes out of Willis’ hand on this simple play-action throw to Christian Watson. He’s on time with his footwork and lets the ball rip with a defender bearing down. 

Because of the velocity, Willis hits a window that is pretty well covered by the cornerback on a rep where his LT fell, and his RB missed a block. 

That arm talent also allows Willis to hit tight windows on the move. The above clip is a touchdown he threw against the New York Giants. Watch how fast he zips the ball to Romeo Doubs while taking a hit on the run. 

That’s some special physical talent — something that can’t be developed. 

Arm strength isn’t everything, though. A good quarterback must also have touch in his repertoire. This was one of Willis’ biggest weaknesses as a third-round pick out of Liberty, but he’s shown some major strides in recent seasons. 

Let’s focus on how beautifully Willis drops this crossing route over the underneath defender and on the back shoulder to shield the receiver from the farside cornerback. 

Willis has shown that touch on vertical concepts as well. On this ball to Doubs, you can see Willis step up in rhythm and deliver this pass with perfect placement down the left sideline. 

Willis has every throw in his arsenal. 

Athletic Ability 

His other standout trait is his athletic ability. Willis is one of the NFL’s best scramblers, both behind and beyond the line of scrimmage. 

This is a simple zone read concept on fourth and 1, but watch how easily Willis gets to the edge and gets extra yards. Short-yardage was a huge problem for the Dolphins under Mike McDaniel, but Willis’ legs will add another dimension that teams will have to account for. 

Of course, this athletic ability also allows him to create outside of structure. 

The play above seems to be a somewhat broken play, as Watson and Jayden Reed basically run into each other in the middle of the field. Watch Willis start to throw, pull the ball back when he sees the traffic, dodge two pass rushers in the pocket, escape to his left, and then hit a wide-open Watson for a big play. 

Everything went wrong operationally on this play, and Willis turned it into an explosive. Plays like these are so insanely valuable in the modern NFL because nothing will be perfect all the time. Having a QB who can make something out of nothing is what separates the most stable offenses from the “flash in a pan” units. 

The Dolphins haven’t gotten that from a quarterback in a long, long time, and it was one of the reasons the offense always faltered in big moments. 

Where Willis Can Improve 

Processing 

The top thing Willis will have to continue working on is how he processes post-snap. This isn’t surprising for a QB with only six career starts, and he’s already gotten leagues better than his college days. 

Case in point, this touchdown pass against the Ravens is wonderful pre- and post-snap processing from the young QB. 

The Packers are running a version of four-verts on this play. Watch Kyle Hamilton in the slot at the top of the screen. He creeps toward the line like he’s going to blitz, while the safety to Willis’ left (Alohi Gilman) starts moving like he’s going to be a single-high defender. 

This is all very telling of a slot blitz. Willis sees that and moves eyes toward Gilman’s side at the snap. If Gilman is running to the middle of the field, he can cover the vertical routes streaking down the field. 

However, it’s a trick. Hamilton backs out of the blitz, and Gilman spins to a deep half, making this a two-high shell. Willis sees this, snaps his head to his right, and throws a perfect pass over Hamilton’s head and in front of Watson, allowing him to pick up YAC and the touchdown. 

This is high-level stuff, but Willis is still prone to some questionable turndowns. 

On this play, Willis could have driven that crossing route to Watson before the safety (Kevin Byrad) fired downhill and made a play. He’s stepping up into the throw and looking right at it. It’s a tight window, so fine, he comes off of it. 

When he steps up, he’s also got an opportunity to throw the vertical route at the top of the screen, but he’s just not processing that fast. 

This play ends up being positive because Willis works through the pass rusher and scrambles for the first down. It’s a good example of why QBs who can turn shaky plays into positives are so valuable. 

A less athletic QB taking a second too long to process this concept probably takes a sack in the red zone. Willis turns it into a first down. 

Willis just hasn’t seen much at this point in his career, so he can rely on his legs when he doesn’t have to. That is not uncommon for young QBs, but it’s something they have to grow out of the longer they play. 

Willis isn’t at that point yet, but this will be one of the most important areas of development for him on the Dolphins. 

Footwork 

The last area worth talking about is footwork. Again, Willis has already taken strides since his college days, but he can be a tad inconsistent. 

When he’s off, it’s usually because his feet aren’t set and pointed at his target. He’s got enough arm strength to deliver some passes flat-footed from the pocket. That’s great, but it’s not an ideal process. 

In a larger sample size as Miami’s starter for a full season, it could get him in trouble a lot more than it did across his 47 dropbacks last season.

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Dante Collinelli
DANTE COLLINELLI

Dante currently serves as the deputy editor of Dolphins on SI, where he’s been contributing since 2022. He began his career covering the NFL Draft for Blue Chip Scouting and spent four years covering the Temple University Football team. For the past three years, Dante served as the Deputy Editor for The 33rd Team, working with former players, coaches, and general managers, while building a team of NFL writers.

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