On Community, Donald Glover’s Troy walks into a room while smiling and carrying pizza boxes, only to be met by a room on fire. You’ve seen the GIF.
That is Malik Willis.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Miami Dolphins are trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos receive Waddle, 27, and a fourth-round pick, while Miami receives a first-round, third-round, and fourth-round pick, including the No. 30 overall pick in next month’s 2026 NFL Draft.
After the news hit, Yahoo! Sports’ Football 301 host Nate Tice expressed confusion over the Dolphins’ offseason moves.
“The Malik Willis signing seems like it's on a different timeline than the rest of the Dolphins moves,” Tice wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “I understand that MIA is basically giving Willis an extended tryout to see if he has a chance to be a guy. But, there's not much around him to evaluate with. And it could create a tough situation if he does play decently - but not great - and you're still in position to take a QB. What wins out?”
Tice continued, “So, really, what's the threshold for sticking with Willis if the year is rough? A positive is that it can make it so there is no dire need for a QB in next year's draft if there aren't any available. But if Willis bombs, then what happens? And if he's actually the real deal, then by the time the team can push to compete, they're going to have to re-up him and lose the advantage of a mid-tier QB contract.”
Tice noted he also likes the trade for the Broncos, who are clearly pushing to win while quarterback Bo Nix is still on his rookie contract.
The Dolphins signed Willis, 26, on a reported three-year, $67.5 million contract last week. The former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback made three starts in two years with the Packers, but his most recent start on Dec. 27 was dazzling. He went 18-of-21 for 288 yards and a touchdown, plus 60 yards and two touchdowns as a rusher in a loss to Baltimore.
Willis showed impressive growth in Green Bay after a rocky start as the Tennessee Titans’ third-round pick in 2022. A steady organizational infrastructure and a clever playcaller in Packers head coach Matt LaFleur clearly helped him fulfill his potential. What will happen if he’s thrown back into chaos?
Miami signing Willis could be seen as a move on a relatively cheap QB1 of the future - a la Sam Darnold in Seattle - or a bridge quarterback move with high upside. Everything else the Dolphins have done suggests they likely view Willis as the latter.
The walls started to crumble when the Dolphins parted ways with longtime general manager Chris Grier on Halloween. Then, Tagovailoa was benched by mid-December. The Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel after a 7-10 season and hired former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley in January. Miami also poached general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan from Green Bay’s front office.
In February, the Dolphins released All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and they officially released quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and edge Bradley Chubb last week. In free agency, the Dolphins lost fan-favorite fullback Alec Ingold, cornerback Kader Kohou, punter Jake Bailey, kicker Jason Sanders, and more. Now, Waddle is gone, too.
Similar to Tice, Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer tried to parse through the competing timelines in one of his “Breer Report” videos last week.
“They go out and get Malik Willis; I think that’s a credibility play for them,” Breer said. “Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley coming from Green Bay, they bring the backup quarterback from Green Bay with them. They’ll give him a chance to compete on a week-to-week basis, but the long-term answer is more likely for them in next year’s draft.”
It has been obvious for months that the Dolphins were giving in to a much-needed full-scale rebuild. They seem to have a plan, which could be great for the franchise long-term, but it also seems to be setting Willis up to fail as he tries to establish himself as a legitimate NFL starter.
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