Dolphins QB Malik Willis could help jumpstart a De'Von Achane All-Pro campaign

The Miami Dolphins' best path to success in 2026 revolves around a dynamic duo on offense in Malik Willis and De'Von Achane, coupled with new coach Jeff Hafley elevating a young, wildly unproven defense. Sounds like a bit of a stretch, even before you factor in the tough schedule and division.

But Miami did invest in Willis with a three-year, $67.5 million deal in free agency. Achane signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension that was beyond deserved, not terribly long thereafter.

Can the electrifying pair deliver? I believe they can. Because what Willis does best should open up all kinds of real estate for Achane.

Malik Willis' skill set is tailor-made for the Miami Dolphins to get the most out of De'Von Achane

A bit of time ago — a figurative blink in the doldrums of the NFL offseason — PFF's Bradley Locker dropped a list of 10 players who could be first-time All-Pros this year. De'Von Achane made the cut, despite the fact that the Dolphins project to be one of the worst teams in the league.

Locker's rationale for featuring Achane curiously made no mention of the impact Willis' presence might have:

"Since 2023, Achane’s 92.7 overall PFF grade is third at the position, featuring a league-leading 93.7 PFF rushing mark and an 85.7 PFF receiving grade. [...] Achane returns as the centerpiece on a Miami offense devoid of much skill-position talent. In many ways, that bodes well for Achane’s volume and cumulative stats in both the pass and run game, as does the Dolphins adding first-round lineman Kadyn Proctor. With Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey coming off fairly down seasons as rushers, Achane could be in position to capitalize."

The ultimate winning formula for the Fins is straight-up bully ball. That may not be the brand of pigskin that comes to mind with Achane, yet the man has averaged 5.6 yards per carry through three seasons.

It's more about the big boys in the trenches getting after the opposition. Miami has some behemoths up front between Patrick Paul and Kadyn Proctor on the left side. Then, there's star center Aaron Brewer. That trio alone makes the Fins' offensive line quite underrated.

Now on to the Malik Willis of it all. Unlike his predecessor, Tua Tagovailoa, Willis isn't straining to chuck the ball 40 air yards downfield. He can make those throws with easy gas, basically doing so on the throw below whilst falling away and zipping it slightly across his body:

MONEY. Remember when Tua would launch it with all his might to Tyreek Hill, and Cheetah had to throttle down to basically fair catch the dying pass like a punt? Ain't gonna happen with Willis.

Opponents were practically daring Miami to throw it deep as Tua's tenure wound down. They could stack the box and home in on stopping Achane. It didn't matter. He still produced at an elite level.

This new regime obviously believes Tua was a bit of a scrub and that Willis is an upgrade. If that's the case, and Achane had 1,838 scrimmage yards last year, how is he not about to be an All-Pro in 2026?

You can say the Dolphins don't have great weapons for Willis, which could complicate matters and make the offense too one-dimensional. But I just kind of explained that away due to how bad Tua was this past season.

Plus, ex-Rams wideout Tutu Atwell has excellent speed and could absolutely shock some people after being buried on LA's depth chart. Jalen Tolbert is 20-for-40 on career contested catches, per PFF. That's darn good on quite a large sample size. Makes up for some of his lack of separation skills.

Between those two, the hopeful contributions of a breakout candidate at tight end in Greg Dulcich, and Achane's own dynamic receiving ability, Willis should have just enough to build on the promise he showed in Green Bay. More importantly, he can keep defenses honest with his arm to tee up Achane's explosive runs.

Speaking of which, did I mention Willis has some serious wheels, too? Look at him accelerate to the end zone against the Ravens here (you're welcome for the alt broadcast):

Willis tends to scramble perhaps more than he should, yet when you can run as well as he can, what does it matter?

The Dolphins will want to be judicious with designed QB runs and not put Willis in harm's way too often. That said, there's a balance to find there where offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik calls them with enough frequency — or at least presents read-option/mesh-point running plays — where defenses can't key in on whether Willis or Achane will carry the ball.

Any slight hesitation from the opposition can result in Achane making a house call. The scaffolding of Miami's outside zone run scheme under Mike McDaniel should stay true under Slowik, and there are all kinds of wrinkles off that horizontal action that can put so much stress on a defense with misdirection and deception.

Slowik's imagination is all that's putting a ceiling on Achane's upside.

If Willis is anything like the quarterback he appeared to be for the Packers in such a small sample size, his strengths of stretching the field with his arm and threatening the defense with his legs should have De'Von Achane firmly in the All-Pro mix, no matter how Miami fares in the win-loss columns.

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