Miami Dolphins
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The Dolphins announced news on Malik Willis
The Miami Dolphins have a new quarterback, as the Tua Tagovailoa era in Miami has come to an end. The Dolphins released their former first-round pick quarterback once the league year began, and hequickly agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, where he will compete for the starting job.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins also found their new quarterback in free agency, as theysigned former Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis to a three-year, $67 million contract. Despite having only six career NFL starts, Miami’s general manager and head coach were familiar with Willis, and decided to make him their new franchise quarterback.
Miami Dolphins Announce Malik Willis News
Through their social media account, Miami posted Willis’ new Dolphins jersey, revealing his No. 2 jersey number.
The last Dolphins player to wear the No. 2 jersey was Pro Bowl pass rusher Bradley Chubb, who was acquired by Miami during the 2022 season when the team traded a first-round pick in exchange for him. Chubb appeared in 41 games for the Dolphins and registered 22 sacks in his tenure with the team. The Dolphins released Chubb this offseason as he was set to carry a $31 million cap hit.Chubb then signed with the division rival Buffalo Bills on a three-year, $43.5million contract.
Despite Chubb’s strong pair of seasons with the Dolphins, Miami will hope that Willis has more success with the team and is around for longer than Chubb. The Dolphins are not the first team to give Willis a starting opportunity, as he started three games for the Titans after being drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Regarding why he is now better prepared to lead a team,Willis said, “I went through four different offenses and seen a bunch of different defenses, and I just think I’ve grown a lot and I’m grateful for the opportunity once again.”
Malik Willis’ Journey to the Dolphins
Following his two-year stint with the Titans, Willis was traded to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Regarding his time with the Packers, Willis said, “I think that was awesome. You said it with the being in the same system, that was my first time in the same system. I had three different offenses before I got there in two years, so that was kind of tough, but I learned a lot. I learned a lot, and those were three different types of systems.”
Sports Illustrated’s Dante Collinelli wrote about Willis’ improvement from Tennessee to Green Bay. He wrote, “Watching Willis’ Titans tape and his Packers tape is almost like watching two completely different players.
Sure, the young passer still has his patented athletic ability. But outside of that, his processing, footwork, accuracy, and overall play are wildly better now than just a few years ago.”
Despite a limited sample size, Willis has shown a high ceiling as he posted the highest QBR in the NFL in his three starts these past two seasons. The Dolphins will hope Willis is able to replicate that success over a full season and cement himself as Miami’s quarterback of the future.