Malik Willis already proving he is the leader the Dolphins offense needs

When Malik Willis decided to join the Miami Dolphins, the initial thought of him and Jaylen Waddle teaming up was hard to overlook. That won't happen now, but regardless of whether Waddle was in Miami or not, he still had to work on timing with his new receivers.

Willis has been working out the entire offseason. On the first day of free agency tampering, Willis was on the field doing route reps. It shouldn't come as a surprise to see him doing that now with one of his new teammates.

Jalen Tolbert will take on a much bigger role than he had in his four years with the Cowboys. After spending four seasons buried behind top receivers, Tolbert is hoping he will find the snaps to take a step forward. He isn't wasting the opportunity either.

Malik Willis and Jalen Tolbert hope to make an impact on the Miami Dolphins offense

This is what leadership looks like. Willis isn't taking the time off now that he has a big contract. He wants to be more than just the starter for the Dolphins; he wants to be their franchise quarterback. If he succeeds in doing so, he will be the first true QB to do it since Dan Marino. It's a long and sad list of starters.

Fans should take comfort in seeing Willis going through the footwork prep and route reads; it's the type of leadership the Dolphins had seen in him in Green Bay. When Willis walks into the locker room for the first time at an OTA or minicamp, there will be a lot of young faces, new faces, but they will be looking to him for leadership.

It's not just about Willis, however. Tolbert should see a lot of playing time this year. His best season was in 2024 when he took 76% of the offensive snaps. That dropped to 51% last season. In four seasons, he has only 1,093 yards receiving, but has 10 touchdowns.

Miami's offense is built for Tolbert, who will compete for one of the starting wide receiver jobs. Working out with Willis is a perfect way to get a leg up on the competition.