One of the most frustrating parts of the Tua Tagovailoa experience as a Miami Dolphins fan was the former signal-caller's lack of an elite athletic trait. Despite a roster that was loaded with the firepower to attack teams vertically down the field, Tagovailoa's limited arm strength worked in the defense's favor. It was not an uncommon sight to see Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle forced to throttle down — or come to a complete stop — as they waited for a pass.
Malik Willis' detractors have a few fair talking points. He is inexperienced. He did not impress in his cameo as the Titans starter. One thing has been obvious from before he stepped on an NFL field, though: his tools. In the lead-up to the 2022 NFL Draft, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein gave a glowing review of the raw ability Willis possesses: "Willis uses his rare combination of elite rushing talent and a rocket-launching right arm to unlock explosive plays in two different ways."
While we'll never get to see what Hill and Waddle could have done with Malik Willis at the helm, day two of training camp provided the kind of update that will have fans salivating. The Dolphins finally have something at the quarterback position that has been notably absent over the last few years: a very live arm.
Miami Dolphins QB Malik Willis is making the kind of plays that only the game's best have the tools to make
According to the Dolphins' in-house reporter Travis Wingfield, Willis had a much better second day of practice, including his best throw: "a back-foot, fade-away throw that he lofted 40 yards [down the] sideline to [Tutu] Atwell," as well as "a beautiful throw from Malik Willis where he threw across [his] body, 25 yards down the field to Malik Washington." As fans of a team that has been routinely victimized by a quarterback up in Buffalo with the arm strength to make those kinds of plays, we find it reinvigorating to know the Dolphins have gotten with the times.
It feels like Miami is finally in for a fair fight when it comes to facing some of the league's top QBs.
Passing is all about mechanics, but there are times, in those 'gotta-have-it' moments, that what's needed is simply getting the job done. Oftentimes, when the play broke down around Tagovailoa in recent years, the quarterback's limitations were on full display. It's difficult to recall a play that entailed an off-schedule, cross-body, back-foot Tagovailoa throw that didn't result in disaster.
Those days are firmly in the rearview mirror. Malik Willis has arm talent in droves. His receivers may be inexperienced and unheralded, but as Dan Marino once said: "There's no defense for a perfect pass." Willis can throw receivers open, as well as hitting windows that other QBs can only dream of. Folks on the outside can keep writing off the Dolphins, but one thing is becoming abundantly clear.
This isn't a team that's entering 2026 expecting to be a doormat for anyone. For the AFC East and the NFL at large, the warning is clear: don't sleep on Miami this year. It might just cost you the game.
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