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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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After the departure of their former No. 1 pick, Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins are entering a new era with their offseason free agent signing, Malik Willis.
While he comes into the Dolphins' system having shown his abilities to start games and lead a team to success, this will mark his first full season as a team's QB1 from the start.
The Dolphins also have a brand new coach, Jeff Hafley, who recently appeared on "The Rich Eisen Show," and explained what he expects to see from Willis to gauge if he's successful.
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"Improvement, and the confidence that I talked about. I believe in Malik. I believe in Malik as a person, and I believe in Malik as a player. I watched him sit in the pocket and throw the ball well. I watched him use his legs and throw the ball down the field," Hafley told Eisen.
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"You know, there's gonna be some ups and downs; it's just gonna be the natural occurrence for a guy who's really starting his first year. It's almost like a rookie year for him," he said. "I want to see improvement, and I want to see confidence, and I want to see leadership, and I want to see some moments where he's capable of taking over a game, which I truly believe that he's going to do."
Hafley indicated he'd be fine with Willis making mistakes and that he'd "have his back, because we're all gonna make mistakes, but we gotta learn from them, or else they won't count."
The Dolphins' first-year coach also said he's "excited" for Willis to be on the field and show everyone what he's capable of. That will be taking over the starting job from a former Pro Bowl QB and 2023 NFL passing yards leader in Tagovailoa, who led Miami to two playoff appearances in his six seasons.
Willis has experience as a starter in games, but never as an NFL team's main QB. He began his career with the Tennessee Titans in 2022 as a backup to Ryan Tannehill, appearing in eight games but starting just three.
His abilities were on full display as a backup for the Green Bay Packers over the past few seasons. In seven games in his 2024 season, he threw for 550 yards and three touchdowns. He was also 2-0 in his two starts.
Last season, he played in four games amid Jordan Love's injury situation. He started in one game for Green Bay last season and lost, but in his four games on the field, he threw for 422 yards and three touchdowns with a career-high 85.7% completion percentage and a 93.1 QBR.
With a full season ahead in Miami, he could rack up some impressive numbers in what will feel like a real chance to shine as the team's new starting QB.
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