The quarterback is the most important position in sports, and the Miami Dolphins hope to have found their new answer at that position this offseason.
After six years with Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins released him despite the substantial cap hit, and then signed Malik Willis to a three-year, $67 million contract in free agency. Willis has started only six games during his four-year NFL career, in which he disappointed with the Tennessee Titans before impressing in limited playing time with the Green Bay Packers.
Regardless, the talent is there for Willis. He’s got strong running ability, which he displayed with the Packers, along with a strong arm, which makes him an intriguing player for the Dolphins despite being inexperienced.Now, a Dolphins All-Pro linebacker has shared his thoughts while mic’d up and playing against Willis.
Jordyn Brooks Doesn’t Hold Back on Miami Dolphins Quarterback
The Miami Dolphins released mic’d-up highlights of All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks from a day of practice at OTAs. OTAs marked the first time Brooks has faced off against the new Dolphins quarterback in practice, and during the practice session, Brooks shared high praise for the quarterback as he told Willis, “You tossing this pigskin around a little bit today. That was good, that was special. Got me, I ain’t gonna lie.”
Regarding Willis’ performance during OTAs, Dolphins on SI’s Alain Poupart wrote:
“Gonna have to be honest here, and this might not be a major revelation, but the ball comes out very differently out of Malik Willis’ hand than it does any of the other three QBs on the roster — Quinn Ewers, Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski. The velocity difference is borderline startling.”
Poupart added that Willis’ seven-on-seven session was “fine but not overly spectacular. His best pass was a mid-range completion to the sideline to tight end Jalin Conyers with Tyrel Dodson in coverage.”
Jordyn Brooks Status
It is a positive development for the Miami Dolphins that Brooks is active and engaged with the team despite having only one year remaining on his contract, and likely deserves a contract extension after his first-team All-Pro selection last season.
Regarding whether he expects an extension to be finalized with the team, Brooks told reporters, “Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. I mean, it can go either way honestly, but for me, I’m just controlling what I can control. Play football. I’m blessed to do it and so I’m going to just keep approaching it that way.”
The Dolphins captain does not appear to have any hard feelings on the team extending Pro Bowl running back De’Von Achane before him as well, as he said, “Yeah, man, Achane getting his deal, that’s something that needed to happen right away. Probably our best player on the team, just his skill set and the way he’s played for us the last two years since I’ve been here, he earned every bit of that. Seeing him get that done, I was excited. Bringing him back and obviously all the guys that we lost, having him back made me feel a lot better about where we’re going in the future.”
Dolphins Jordyn Brooks Sends Strong Message on New Quarterback: “That Was Special”