When the Miami Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle away to the Denver Broncos, attention quickly turned to what it could mean for new starting quarterback Malik Willis. His decision to sign with Miami in free agency made plenty of sense at the time. He had a clear path to be the new starter and was already familiar with general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley from their time together with the Packers.
Without Waddle as his No. 1 target, however, his chances of playing at a high level in 2026 seem nearly insurmountable. Even if the Dolphins draft multiple new passing targets with a few of their seven top 100 picks, expecting any of them to step in and replace what Waddle would have provided would be foolish.
There was immediate speculation about whether the Dolphins truly valued Willis as anything more than an expensive placeholder because of Waddle's departure, but NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe recently explained that Miami didn't leave their new starting QB in the dark about the move.
Malik Willis has bright opportunity at start of Dolphins rebuild & plenty of draft picks to grow with him.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) March 28, 2026
I’m told Miami kept Willis in the loop informing him before Jaylen Waddle trade: sign of how org feels about him.
More on new Dolphins/Willis for @nflnetwork The Insiders: pic.twitter.com/xokv0NCbwy
The Miami Dolphins warned Malik Willis that Jaylen Waddle could be traded before his joined them in free agency
Wolfe put to bed any questions about whether Willis may regret signing with Miami after the Waddle trade while appearing on NFL Network's The Insiders on Friday.
"From the conversations I've had, they gave, as far as Jon-Eric Sullivan the general manager and the head coach Jeff Hafley, Malik Willis a heads up, a conversation before they traded Jaylen Waddle," Wolfe said. "He (Willis) was in the know of this decision, and he is still all-in on the plan just like they were when they signed him in free agency."
The fact that the Dolphins brass shared the possibility that Waddle could be heading out of town with Willis before he signed says a lot about their confidence in him and in their plan for how to make him successful. It's a stark contrast to what we have seen from other teams in the past, with the best recent example being the Falcons leaving Kirk Cousins mostly in the dark about their interest in Michael Penix Jr.
Wolfe also revealed that they view Willis as a potential long-term answer at the position, which could greatly impact how they operate in the NFL draft this April. Sullivan comes from a Packers organization that went over two decades without drafting a receiver in the first round. Yet, given the position's clear weakness, he may be willing to spend one of his first picks as GM on the position.
No matter how much faith they have in the former third-round pick, he is still very much an unknown as a full-time starter. Asking him to show signs of being their new franchise QB without at least average weapons could backfire quickly. On the flip side, if he does impress despite the relative lack of talent around him, it will only increase his standing with Miami and the NFL at large.
After watching the painful end of Tua Tagovailoa's career in Miami last year, I think fans will just be happy to have something interesting to follow next season, one way or the other.