Jeff Hafley, Miami Dolphins
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(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Miami Dolphins made several changes this offseason as they cut ties with Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa. Moreover, the team’s front office decided to take the draft picks when trading Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos.
Nonetheless, the Dolphins made a major move by bringing in Malik Willis from the Green Bay Packers as their starting QB. However, when Miami decided to trade Waddle, there were questions about whether Willis was aware of the team’s plans to ship out the only reliable wideout.
Amid all the changes in Miami this offseason, NFL insider Cameron Wolfe shared the latest on Willis and the current stateof the Dolphins as the draft approaches.
“A completely new era and opportunity for Malik Willis,”Wolfe said on the March 27 edition of The Insiders. “Let’s go to the Jaylen Waddle trade to start, because a lot of the questions that people had were,why do you sign Malik Willis? Did he know?From the conversations I’ve had, they gave, as far as Jon-Eric Sullivan, the general manager, and the head coach, Jeff Hafley, Malik Willisa heads up, aconversation before they traded Jaylen Waddle.
“He was in the know of this decision, and he is still all in on the plan, just like they were when they signed him in free agency. This isn’t a shock adjustment to what particularly happened. Malik Willis was signed because they view him as a potential long-term answer there. It’s not just a Band-Aid addition.”
Insider Says Dolphins Could Draft a QB in April
While the Dolphins are betting on Willis being their signal-caller for the next two seasons, Miami appears to want to create competition, even at the QB position. Wolfe noted what the Dolphins’ plan could be as the draft approaches.
“The Dolphins do plan to continue to add competition, so don’t be surprised if they draft a quarterback in April,” Wolfe added. “That’s sort of the way they want to have there. But this is a clear runway for Malik Willis with a young team to show that he can be the long-term answer and give Jeff Hafley’s squad something to believe in in Year 1 in the rebuild as well.”
Would Miami Consider Drafting Ty Simpson in Round 1?
The Dolphins now have 11 draft picks after the Waddle trade, with two in the first round, so they could take a swing at a QB, and ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky believes the Dolphins should do their homework on former Alabama Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson.
“I think they can get a draft wide receiver that they can build around earlier in the draft,”Orlovsky said on the March 17 edition of “NFL Live.“ “But it does make me think, because there are two teams that are great places for the Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Arizona would be one, and Miami would be another.
“I know they just paid Malik Willis. I know that. But given the timeline, and given just the style of the quarterback with the style of offense that would be in Miami, at least under this regime, it makes me think, even though they signed Malik Willis, they should do their homework and entertain drafting Ty Simpson in Miami.”