Malik Willis is entering his first training camp with the Miami Dolphins. There are questions about his ability to lead the team as a starter, and bigger questions around his wide receiver room.
The Dolphins do not have a lot of proven playmakers on either side of the ball. They have replaced veterans and big contracts with rookies and one-year deals. It's part of a culture rebuild that Willis is expected to help build.
After his first day at camp, Willis spoke to the media and made it clear how he feels about the outside opinions of his receiver unit.
Miami Dolphins QB Malik Willis is already acting like a locker room leader
If the Dolphins are going to change the narrative surrounding the upcoming season, Willis will need to stand out. He will make mistakes, but he has to limit them, and more importantly, according to Jeff Hafley, he has to have the confidence to get over those mistakes.
"We all play football at a high level or we wouldn't be in the NFL. Every team has good players, it's just putting them in position to be successful. All the guys that have big names at one point didn't have a big name, and I think that's how it goes. You just got to prove it and that's where we're at right now."
Willis is embracing the leadership role. He says you can be a leader by action and by voice. Willis spent part of the summer break with around seven of his teammates working out and running plays in Jacksonville. It's the start they need to build confidence in each other.
The Dolphins' new QB credited his coach and GM for how they shaped the Dolphins this year. He was clear that both of them came in with a shared vision of what they wanted from the players on the team. It's a direction that Dolphins fans haven't seen for a long time.
As for the expectations and ability to win, Willis kept it simple. "The obvious goal is to go out there and win games, and to do that, it's going to take all 11 each play. Nobody can go out there and win it by themselves." Yep, sounds like the culture is starting to change.
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