The Miami Dolphins made a big investment this offseason to land their starting quarterback in free agency.
Malik Willis came aboard from the Green Bay Packers, and while the Dolphins’ roster had a lot of question marks, Willis answered the biggest one — who would replace Tua Tagovailoa?
The problem through two weeks of the 2026 NFL season is that Willis hasn’t been as sharp as the Dolphins would’ve hoped.
And the tricky part in evaluating that is that the Dolphins have the least-experienced receiver room in the NFL. Is any of this the fault of Willis? Or is he being let down by his pass catchers?
Willis also hasn’t been asked to run quite as much as some would’ve thought — although he did scamper for a Week 1 touchdown.
His Week 2 highlight was a 77-yard touchdown pass to journeyman Ryan Miller — except that came in the final minutes of a blowout loss, so it was relatively meaningless.
The Dolphins aren’t going to turn away from Willis anytime soon, but their fanbase may start asking some questions.
Who is the Dolphins’ Backup QB?
The Dolphins’ backup quarterback appears to be Kyle McCord.
McCord was a Philadelphia Eagles draft pick in 2025 who they didn’t even bring into the regular season.
He then latched on with the Packers, for whom he spent time as a QB3.
Of course, the Packers’ staff is now heavily a part of this Dolphins group, both in the front office and in head coach Jeff Hafley, so they knew what they were getting in McCord.
When McCord became available at the end of the preseason, the Dolphins pounced.
They previously had Quinn Ewers, but they dealt him to the Jacksonville Jaguars to make room for McCord.
McCord began his college career at Ohio State, where he did ascend to the role of starting quarterback. But when the Buckeyes brought in Will Howard from the transfer portal before McCord’s final year, he found a new home at Syracuse.
McCord then broke pretty much every single-season passing record the Orange had in a prolific campaign that is likely what earned him a selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
As far as experience goes, McCord fits the rest of the Dolphins roster. But he does have some talent in his right arm.
If he ever had to take over for Willis, it would be a shift, because he’s a less-mobile QB than Willis.
Other Dolphins QB
The Dolphins have one other quarterback: Brady Cook.
Cook was an undrafted rookie in 2025 who actually ended up starting near the end of the season for the lowly Jets.
He was also picked up at the end of the preseason by Miami, so both he and McCord have been working to learn the system since arriving.
The Dolphins obviously want Willis to work out, and it’s not like they have anything exceptional waiting in the wings, but the whole depth chart is brand new, which is a fascinating approach.
Who is the Dolphins’ Backup QB? Depth Chart Behind Malik Willis Has Questions