The Miami Dolphins have yet another reason to hope that Malik Willis is everything they think he is
The 2027 quarterback rat race just got even more complicated, which means the Miami Dolphins’ bet on Malik Willis is even more important.
The Miami Dolphins’ bet on quarterback Malik Willis just got even more important.
The Dolphins have millions and millions of reasons to hope that Willis turns out to be everything that head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan believe he is. And I’m not just talking about the $45 million in guaranteed that the Dolphins committed to Willis when they signed in him in March. But among the mountain of reasons why hitting on a quarterback would be great? You can add one more to the pile. The 2027 rat race has gotten even more complicated for Miami in the event that Willis leaves us wanting in 2026.
The Miami Dolphins have yet another reason to hope that Malik Willis is everything they think he is
The New York Jets are well aligned in within the AFC East to be a player in the quarterback market. The team has a short-term veteran in Geno Smith in place. Plus three first-round picks at their disposal for the 2027 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns have also joined the club as quarterback destinations to sport multiple first-round picks. That development happened on Monday.
The Browns, in shipping Myles Garrett out the door, have parlayed a trade down from No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft (Travis Hunter) and the Garrett trade into a war chest of picks that would make Laremy Tunsil blush. And it leaves Miami trailing yet another team with surplus first-round draft capital.
Malik Willis controls his (and the Miami Dolphins’) destiny
None of it matters if Malik Willis is who the Dolphins believe he is. The Jets, Browns, Cardinals, and whoever else are welcome to clamber over one another in a bid to get the NFL Draft’s annual prize. Or prizes. The better Willis plays, the less big a deal Miami’s disadvantageous 2027 capital becomes. And the irony here? The worse Willis plays, the higher pick Miami will end up with given the limitations of the rest of the roster.
This is, by no means, a call to “tank”. You don’t perpetuate winning by losing, especially on purpose. But the facts are the facts. If the Dolphins end up feeling as though they need a quarterback in January and February? They’d better hope they’re not charged with trying to get in front of teams like Cleveland and New York to get one. Because if that’s the case, they’re (currently) low on ammo to get it done.
So let’s hope for the path of least resistance to the Dolphins landing their quarterback of the future. That would, of course, be that Willis leaves no doubt in 2026.
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