The Miami Dolphins have played five games with Malik Willis as their starting quarterback.
The Dolphins have lost all five of those games, and questions are already coming about the idea of benching Willis in favor of backup QB Kyle McCord.
Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley got those questions specifically from reporters during his media availability on Monday, and he actually acknowledged to the room that he respected why they have to ask.
And then he made his thoughts clear.
Will Dolphins Bench Malik Willis?
As of right now, the Dolphins don’t intend to bench Willis.
“We’ve played five games,” Hafley said to reporters, “and Malik is our quarterback.”
Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley says there’s no thought of benching Malik Willis at this point.
“We’ve played five games, and Malik is our quarterback.”
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) October 12, 2026
It does make sense that the Dolphins wouldn’t yet give up on a guy who they signed to a three-year deal for $67.5 million, a contract that includes $45 million guaranteed.
To give up on that after five games, particularly in a season where it was always pretty clear that Miami wouldn’t be making a run to the playoffs, would simply be a poor allocation of resources.
There’s also the matter of the Dolphins not having some proven backup QB to turn to. McCord has never started in the NFL.
McCord is actually on his third team already in two seasons. He was a sixth-round 2025 pick of the Eagles out of Syracuse, but they didn’t keep him around long before he joined the Packers.
Now with a Green Bay contingent leading the decision-making in Miami, they chose to bring in McCord to back up Willis. But he’s far from a sure thing.
The Dolphins may not start winning a bunch of games anytime soon, but putting Willis on the bench probably wouldn’t help that, and it’d only hurt Miami’s chances of knowing whether they can trust him to be their QB beyond this season.
Malik Willis Stats
The lowest of the low so far this season for Willis came on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Willis completed just one of his first seven passes, a 22-yarder to Jalen Tolbert.
In that same span, he threw two passes to Bengals safety Jordan Battle for interceptions.
Usually, completing more passes to the other team than your own is not a winning strategy.
Overall, Willis is completing just 56.2% of his passes for 849 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions through five games.
He also has run 27 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Willis is averaging 6.9 yards per carry, which would be a career-high.
The Dolphins don’t have a lot for Willis to potentially throw to, which hasn’t helped his cause, but it’s clear he still has some improvements to make if he wants to be the long-term answer in Miami.
Dolphins’ Jeff Hafley Makes Feelings Clear on Benching Malik Willis