When the Miami Dolphins signed Malik Willis in free agency to be their starting quarterback, it seemed clear that part of the appeal of Willis was his nature as a dual-threat QB — which he had shown both with the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers, and certainly back in his college career.
But at times since Willis has joined the Dolphins, he has been oddly one-dimensional. In multiple games, he’s hardly attempted to run the ball — a total change in trend from the rest of his career.
That was particularly true on Sunday. Willis ran just one time for two yards as the Dolphins came up short of their upset bid against the Patriots in a 24-19 loss that dropped Miami to 1-6 on the season.
Willis was pretty solid throwing the ball, going 21-for-32 for 211 yards with two touchdowns, including a late 35-yard score to Kevin Coleman Jr. But Willis did throw an interception and take five sacks, so he was far from perfect.
And the lack of running remains confusing and something worth considering.
Malik Willis Rushing Stats
Willis had started 12 games in his NFL career prior to Sunday. He had never run the ball just once, as he did on Sunday.
In fact, he had only twice run it twice — and both those times came this year.
In all six of Willis’ starts from prior to this season — three with the Titans, and three with the Packers — he had totaled at least five rushing attempts.
So the fact that Willis already has a game this year with two runs for six yards, another with two runs for 11 and then this one on Sunday with just one rush for two yards — it’s confusing.
You’d think the Dolphins would draw up a few designed runs every game for Willis, at least, in addition to giving him the freedom to scramble. That doesn’t appear to be the case, though — at least in some of Miami’s gameplans.
It’s unusual, really. Does it take a key element of Willis’ game out of play? You don’t pay Willis more than $20 million per year on a free agent contract to be a pocket passer. You’ve got to let him do what he does best.
Miami has a lot of young receivers, and an inexperienced RB room, too. The threat of the QB run would add a dimension that the Dolphins aren’t leaning into as much as you would’ve expected.
Malik Willis Future
The other reality for Willis is that he’s playing for his own future. You’d think he would want to show off his legs when possible — but maybe he also wants to prove his arm is good enough to be an NFL starting QB, too.
Whatever the reason that Willis isn’t running, it could alter Miami’s future. Eventually, they’ll have to decide whether to draft a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft. Right now, they haven’t even seen the fullest version of who Willis can be.
Something Missing From Malik Willis Experience as Dolphins QB