After months of anticipation, Miami Dolphins fans will finally get to see what new starting quarterback Malik Willis looks like in a real game. Week 1's contest against the Las Vegas Raiders offers Willis an opportunity to prove that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley were right to put their faith in him, even with all of the roster deficiencies he will have to navigate.
His brief but fruitful stint with the Green Bay Packers showed flashes of brilliance, but now he has to replicate that success outside of the comfy confines of Matt LaFleur's hyper-efficient offense. Luckily for the young signal-caller, Las Vegas is going through plenty of its own growing pains coming off a disastrous 2025 season.
Raiders fans have hope that HC Klint Kubiak can be the one to finally bring them back to NFL relevance, but the roster has plenty of question marks heading into his debut season. Willis may be lacking in established weaponry to help him take advantage of a suspect Raiders roster, but there is still a clear path to a successful debut as the Dolphins' potential franchise QB.
Malik Willis must attack multiple Raiders' weak points to have a successful Miami Dolphins debut
The Raiders' defense is far from devoid of talent, especially with star edge rusher Maxx Crosby still anchoring it after his trade to the Ravens fell through this offseason. Still, there are some potential problem areas that Willis and the Dolphins can try to exploit early in the game, including two young defensive backs.
Second-year cornerback Darien Porter and rookie safety Tredan Stukes are both expected to be in the starting lineup. Stukes may have earned a starting spot as a second-round pick this year, but his competition wasn't exactly daunting, and he is still unproven. Porter struggled mightily at times as a rookie, and he will have to prove that he can hang with NFL receivers if he wants to hold onto his spot.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik would be smart to hunt for matchups against those two until they prove they are capable of handling it. Miami may have their own unproven talent at receiver, but they have stepped up to the plate this offseason and showed plenty of promise. Miami should let them go out there and prove they can make plays for their QB.
Aside from looking the young Raiders DBs way, Willis needs to take advantage of one of the worst units in the league on paper: Las Vegas' interior defensive line.
Adam Butler, who Dolphins fans may remember from his lone season playing for Miami in 2021, and 2025 fourth-round pick Tonka Hemingway are set to be the starters for the Raiders this season, with Jonah Laulu and Folorunso Fatukasi backing them up. You would be hard-pressed to find many people who aren't Raiders fans or die-hard NFL fans who are very familiar with any of those players.
Willis can exploit the lack of talent in the Raiders' interior by continuing the growth he showed in Green Bay last year as a pocket navigator. In 2024, even while putting up impressive numbers in relief of Jordan Love, Willis was sacked eight times on just 71 dropbacks, and that was while being pressured just 23 times, according to Pro Football Focus ($).
He looked much more comfortable in 2025, being sacked just three times on 47 dropbacks despite being pressured the same number of times. If Willis can confidently climb the pocket to avoid Crosby screaming off the edge, big-play opportunities could open up down the field with the extra time given to his young playmakers.
Obviously, Willis will need his young guard duo in Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea to handle the Raiders' lackluster defensive tackles, but they have done nothing this summer to suggest they aren't up to the task.
All things considered, the Dolphins couldn't have asked for a much better matchup for Willis to make his debut, other than needing to travel across the country for it. We will have to wait and see if he can lead his team to victory in his first Week 1 start.
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