The Miami Dolphins are certainly taking a bit of a gamble with Malik Willis at quarterback.
Willis is a former third-round pick, but he flamed out with his original team, the Tennessee Titans. The Titans traded Willis to the Green Bay Packers for a seventh-round draft pick and Willis backed up Jordan Love for two seasons.
In those two seasons, Willis took advantage of the coaching from Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur, and he took advantage of each and every single opportunity he got to see the field.
Love went down with an injury a few times, and that provided Willis the chance to prove what he had learned under LaFleur. In 11 games played with three starts, Willis completed 70-of-89 passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
The Packers let Willis go in free agency and the Dolphins jumped on him, giving him a three-year, $67.5 million deal.
It was a huge payday for Willis, and while the Dolphins felt they got their starting quarterback again, they also took a risk on him. Again, he did only start three games in Green Bay.
Willis believes everything he learned under LaFleur with the Packers can help him moving forward, though.
Being a great quarterback is not always about making the big play. It’s about making the right play, and that’s what LaFleur taught Willis.
“Matt, obviously is a great dude. He taught me the importance of playing on time, and why you have to stay on schedule more than going out there trying to make a play every time,” Willis said on “The Pivot” (h/t Josh Chambers). “You make a play when you need to make a play. Other than that, you’re trying to just keep it in the road. I think it was just the level of accountability. That was important.”
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