Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis hasn't really been unleashed to his full potential this season. The offense has been quite conservative, and that makes sense when the wide receiver corps is so thin.
But from where I sit, the general lack of regard for Willis' talent, despite the high-end flashes he showed the previous two years in Green Bay, is a reflection of the coaching staff reining him in. I get that Willis is still developing as a pocket passer, but Miami isn't tapping into what makes him special often enough.
What do I mean by this? Well, in facing his easiest opponent yet in Week 5, the Cincinnati Bengals, Willis could be unleashed like never before this season.
If ever there was a game for the Miami Dolphins to deploy Malik Willis on designed runs, this is it
Only five of Malik Willis' 19 carries this season came on designed quarterback runs. Compare that to, say, Josh Allen and (hate to even type his name) Deshaun Watson. Allen is at 20 designed runs on 28 non-kneel-down carries. Watson has had 12 designed runs on 25 such attempts.
Those numbers are more like the splits Willis should be having. If the object is to win the game, Willis should absolutely be toting the rock more.
It makes sense to try to preserve Willis in the bigger picture. He could be the franchise QB after all. That said, especially with De'Von Achane out for the season and facing a Bengals defense in Week 5 that is awful at tackling for the most part, Willis should be in the open field as a ball carrier as often as possible.
We'll see if Dolphins play-caller Bobby Slowik can toss in a few more designed QB runs to the playbook. Sure seems like it'd come in handy versus Cincinnati's porous run defense, which ranks 23rd in yards per carry allowed (4.5).
Malik's downfield passing may pop off vs. depleted Bengals safety group
If Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger can't play just like last week — and they probably shouldn't with Cincinnati's Week 6 bye incoming — the Bengals will count on Jordan Battle and a combo of PJ Jules and Russ Yeast at safety. That should bode well for Malik Willis' ability to attack on deep throws.
Willis has a rocket arm and flashed excellent downfield precision in spot starting duty with the Packers. Unfortunately, Miami doesn't have the weapons to capitalize on that talent of his.
But Battle has always struggled as a tackler, and the coverage prowess he showed in 2025 has vanished into thin air this season. He's allowing a 111.4 passer rating — and that's with a lucky ricochet interception off Aaron Rodgers in Week 3.
Dax Hill has flexed into the slot due to Bengals nickelback Jalen Davis landing on IR. That means the Bengals are counting on a duo of D.J. Ivey and rookie Tacario Davis on the boundary opposite DJ Turner.
This spells bad news for Dolphins WR1 Malik Washington. Wherever he goes, Turner and Hill will likely follow, for the most part.
But that leaves the door wide open for Chris Bell to shine. Bell is easily the most explosive, lethal downfield threat in Miami's offense, even though he's still getting acclimated to the NFL game and isn't fully 100% from the torn ACL that cut his last college season at Louisville short. Nevertheless, Willis should have chances for huge gains by targeting Bell when he's matched up with Ivey in particular.
Strange as it is to say, the 0-4 Dolphins are riding a bit of confidence into Week 5
It's going to feel amazing for Willis to have more breathing room than he did in Week 4. The Vikings held the ball for almost 40 minutes, which didn't allow the Dolphins' field general to get into any type of rhythm.
There's approximately a 0.0% chance Miami will have so few plays again on Sunday, to the point where Willis will only attempt 17 passes, and Ollie Gordon II will record only nine carries.
The Bengals are also shorthanded on offense, with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins very questionable to play. They can't run the ball well at all, which should make them predictable, one-dimensional, and give Willis and Co. plenty of openings to keep this thing close.
Losing by only five points on the road to the 4-0 Vikings should have Willis and the locker room feeling like the team is moving in the right direction. Shoot, the Dolphins' opponents have combined for only a single loss this whole season so far.
Willis handled Brian Flores' terrifying, relentlessly blitzing Minnesota defense with aplomb on the road in the few chances he got. If Bell hadn't stepped out of bounds, he would've had a long TD pass and a much better-looking box score. Shoot, the Dolphins might've escaped with the win had Bell's score counted.
So yeah. Between the favorable matchup, the gauntlet the Dolphins have run to date to make them battle-tested, and the room the coaching staff has to give him more carries, Willis has all the makings of an exceptional Week 5 on the horizon.
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