Why Willis' Small Sample Size Shouldn't Be a Concern

The most interesting part of the 2026 season for the Miami Dolphins is without question the development of Malik Willis as their starting quarterback.

The Dolphins trusted Willis to be their quarterback in the immediate future by giving him a three-year contract this offseason worth $67 million, with $45 million guaranteed.

The Dolphins gave Willis that deal despite a limited sample size of him being productive. After being a third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2022, he played 11 games and never threw a touchdown pass as a member of the Titans before being unceremoniously traded to the Green Bay Packers.

His career took off from there. Willis was incredibly more productive in three starts, and three other games where Willis saw extended action. Overall, Willis threw six touchdowns and ran for three more as a member of the Packers. Despite a limited number of games, the Dolphins trusted Willis to be the man to lead them into the future. There are plenty of reasons to wonder was to whether Willis will simply be a flash in the pan, but is that line being overstated?

Here's a look at a few reasons toi believe Willis will be successful despite a limited track record.

Comfort Level

Kevin O’Connell famously said during the 2024 season as Sam Darnold was in the midst of a renaissance season that he believed organizations failed young quarterbacks before quarterbacks fail for the organization.

There are a multitude of reasons that a young quarterback can fail. In the case of someone like David Carr or Tim Couch, former No.1 overall picks, the situations around them were horrendous, and they got hit a bunch as young players.

Other players like Jamarcus Russell lacked the work ethic to succeed and flamed out of the league quickly.

Quarterbacks like Minnesota’s JJ McCarthy got overdrafted, and felt like they were destined to never live up to their first-round billing.

Any of the aforementioned reasons can lead to a quarterback feeling uncomfortable.

Willis is not going to be uncomfortable in Miami. Willis was part of the group that was brought to Miami from Green Bay.

The three biggest pillars in any successful organization are the general manager, head coach, and quarterback.

Sometimes, there’s an adjustment period for any of those three men to get to know each other and what makes each individual feel ready to perform at their best.

No such adjustment period will exist for Willis. He knows Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan from their time together in Green Bay. They were ahead of the curve for any team breaking in a new quarterback for that reason.

While Willis may have a smaller track record of playing time, he at least should have an idea of what is expected of him from the coaching staff, and shares a vision with the decision makers at the top of the organization for what type of team they’re trying to build.

Protection Provided

While most of the focus this offseason was turned to the Dolphins’ receiving corps, the easiest way to ruin a young quarterback is to let him take a beating from opposing defenses.

The Dolphins have at least made an investment in their offensive line with both Jon-Eric Sullivan and his predecessor prioritizing adding to their offensive line.

Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer, Jonah Savaiinaea, and Austin Jackson were all players the Dolphins have either used high draft capital on, or identified as players they want to keep around for the foreseeable future.

The Dolphins added to that group this offseason with the selection of Kadyn Proctor with the 12th overall pick.

There is still some development to be done of Proctor, Paul, and Savaiinaea, but the investment has been made. Combine that with Willis’ mobility, he should be able to avoid taking too much of a beating in his first year as a starter.

Talent Always There

This is the most obvious reason that Willis could be looked at as a late bloomer. He’s really talented. Willis is a good athlete who has shown plenty of ability to make play with the ball in his hands.

“Guys are always going to be alive on scramble drills with him, which is huge. So really, you just got to practice that,” passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo said last week when Miami's offensive coaches met with the media. “So throughout the offseason, we'll work on different things to break those tendencies of like, hey, we're in a scramble mode now and kind of work on those different things. Because there are going to be huge plays in the offense. If you look around the league, there's a lot of big-time scramble plays that can win you games. And I was a part of a lot of that over the past five years. So I think it's really a unique skill set that you can take advantage of. And defenses have to be worried about it at all times.”

Willis is not going to just run the wildcat when he’s on the field, as he showed an ability to make plays with his arm during his tenure in Green Bay.

In his lone start of the 2025 season, Willis completed 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens. Had he not left the game with a shoulder injury, Willis would have been able to make those numbers even gaudier.

Those numbers came against a proud Baltimore defense, so not exactly an easy test for him. That game alone should give the Dolphins’ offensive staff plenty to work with and dream about as they try to get Willis to be their new franchise quarterback.

Sample Size Small But Good

No, Malik Willis does not have a lot of game experience, but he has been to hell and back in his career.

The Titans used a third-round pick on Willis and traded him for a conditional seventh-round pick at the end of his third season with the team.

That’s the least amount of trade compensation a team can give to acquire a player. Willis was that close to being released by the Titans, and potentially ending up on a practice squad. If that happens, does Willis get the chances he did in Green Bay? Do the Packers sign him? His whole career could look different with just one thing changing at the end of his career in Tennessee.

Furthermore, it’s not like any situation as a backup quarterback in Green Bay is an easy one. The Packers have had three franchise quarterbacks in succession since 1992. They went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, and now to Jordan Love.

The expectation of quarterbacks in Green Bay is to play well when their number is called.

Willis was thrust into action less than 30 days after being acquired by the Packers while his team was 0-1, needing to win while he was on the field.

In 2025, Willis played extended action against the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens. Two must-win games. The Packers did not win either of those games, but Willis was excellent in both spots in circumstances that were not ideal.

Willis’ track record may be small, but it is mighty.

Add us as a preferred source on Google