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The Miami Dolphins spent big to bring in quarterback Malik Willis this offseason.
The quarterback looked really good in limited snaps with the Green Bay Packers, and he seemingly does have some real potential. However, he's far from a polished passer and he definitely needs a solid supporting cast to reach his potential.
Unfortunately, that's not what he's going to get in Miami. In fact, some think the Dolphins are putting Willis in a very bad position.
Malik Willis being set up to fail in Miami
As mentioned above, the Dolphins spent big on Willis, but they didn't spend much on the rest of the offense. Jared Dubin of CBS Sports recently ranked the "offensive infrastructure" for all 32 teams. This includes everything about the offense: the offensive line, quarterback, pass-catchers, running backs, and play callers.
Unsurprisingly, the Dolphins came in at dead last, in a tier of their own. Dubin offered the following analysis:
The distance between the Dolphins in last place and the next-closest team is larger than the distance between any other two teams in the rankings. That's how bad we think the infrastructure the Dolphins have placed around Malik Willis is. This ranking is dragged down by the 1 the Dolphins got in the pass catcher department, where the options range from Jalen Tolbert, Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell and an injured Chris Bell, to Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek.
As Dubin mentioned, there was a bigger gap between the Dolphins and the No. 31 team than any other two teams in this rankings. The worst part of the offense is clearly the pass-catcher group, where there is almost nothing to be excited about.
If the season started tomorrow, the Dolphins would seemingly trot out Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, and Malik Washington. None of that trio have ever been close to a WR1, so it's hard to imagine that changing in 2026.
Moving on to the tight ends, Greg Dulcich, Ben Sims, and Will Kacmarek also don't inspire much confidence. The team had Darren Waller last season, who made a few nice plays, but didn't add any real difference-makers this offseason.
The one positive is that De'Von Achane was re-signed to a long-term deal and is one of the best running backs in the league. If the Dolphins plan on having any success in 2026, it will take an elite season from Achane.
Can Willis perform like a franchise QB?
In 2025, Willis got into four games for the Packers with one start. The quarterback threw for 422 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions, and also rushed for 123 yards and two more scores. The Dolphins saw enough to give Willis a hefty three-year deal, but he'll have to take it up a level.
It will be interesting to see if Willis can still show promise in a different scenario. He has a new head coach and offensive staff, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps this unit can overachieve and one of these pass-catchers will end up breaking out.
If that doesn't happen, it seems like another long season is coming for the Dolphins.
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