The Miami Dolphins will open up training camp in just a few days when rookies report on July 21, followed by veterans joining them on the 28th. In the conclusion of the Dolphins Wire series of what to expect, the focus is now on the most important position on the field, the quarterback.
The New Starter
This past March, the Dolphins made a splash in signing former Green Bay backup and Tennessee Titans’ 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5M contract, $45M being guaranteed. The deal gives Willis an average annual salary of $22,500,000, and in 2026, he will earn a base salary of $1,215,000 with a signing bonus of $22,285,000. He will carry a cap hit of $5,672,000, according to Spotrac.
Willis was the only substantial free agent investment made this offseason by Miami and first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and rookie head coach Jeff Hafley. Being that both Sullivan and Hafley were with Willis in Green Bay, their confidence in the 27-year-old quarterback is apparent.
Now given a chance to essentially resurrect his career, following an underwhelming two seasons in Tennessee and showing sparks of potential the last two years with the Packers, Willis will try to become a viable starter in the NFL. He only has six career starts and has gone 3-3 in those games.
For his career, Willis has 1,322 passing yards, six touchdown passes, three interceptions and a completion percentage of 67.7% while having a quarterback rating of 98.9. In limited action last season, Willis had some inspiring moments and proved himself as a dual-threat quarterback, rushing 22 times for 123 yards and a pair of scores. His career numbers as a runner are 74 attempts, gaining 405 yards, 24 first downs and four touchdowns. He brings a rushing component Miami has lacked at the quarterback position the last few years, which is key in today’s NFL.
Upon his signing, Hafley told Miami media, “I want Malik to come in and be himself. I don’t want him to change on or off the field because he’s an incredible human, and I think he’s got great leadership qualities that guys will rally around. I’ve seen it. These guys have seen it, and I’ve seen what he can do on the field. He needs to develop; he needs to continue to grow, but I’m not going to put any expectation on what I want to see from him.”
As the Packers’ defensive coordinator the last two seasons, Hafley has had plenty of time and opportunity to evaluate and coach Willis, telling the media in February even prior to the signing, “Obviously him and I have a really good relationship, and he always did a really good job and gave us everything that he had.”
Back in May, Miami offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik shared his excitement, telling reporters Willis is a “really talented individual. Can spin the ball all over the field, can throw the ball everywhere, can run, obviously, and can use his legs. He’s tough, but honestly, what I’ve enjoyed the most so far is getting to know him. The person is really fun to be around.”
Slowik added, “He’s really energetic. He infuses everybody with a lot of energy, just makes you want to kind of be involved in whatever he’s doing, and he’s been fun to coach. We’ve had great conversations when we’ve been in the meeting room, kind of going through some scheme.”
In terms of what he looks to see on the field, Slowik said, “We’re in the early stages of the scheme stuff; that takes a back seat right now. Most of our talks right now are like fundamentals, and he’s all about what we’re doing. It’s very similar to what he did in Green Bay, and we’re just having a lot of fun right now.”
During organized team activities in June, Slowik mentioned that Willis has had good chemistry with wide receiver Malik Washington as well as free agent Jalen Tolbert. Additionally, back in 2022 during the scouting process, Willis was able to develop a rapport with draft classmate, tight end Greg Dulcich, during the Senior Bowl heading into that year’s draft. It looks like that carried over to Miami’s practice field.
Dulcich told the media last month, “Yeah, that’s kind of what OTAs and everything is about, just kind of building that trust, that chemistry, like you said. It’s just reps. The more reps you get, the more comfortable you get with each other, and you kind of see the field in a similar way.” The tight end went on to compliment Willis, saying, “Oh, man. He’s a stud. He can rip the ball. Sees the field great. Obviously, he’s mobile, but he’s got great pocket presence as well.”
Miami’s top star, running back De’Von Achane, also had a ringing endorsement of Willis from early impressions, saying, “he’s good. Like I said, I like being around him, talking to him, asking the questions, building that bond because at the end of the day, that’s who I’m going to be in the backfield with. Just know me and him are getting on the same page and working out, seeing him talk to other guys and making sure that we’re all on one page.”
Willis could have an opportunity to prove he has franchise quarterback potential, and not simply a bridge to what could be a season where Miami will be in play for a top-three collegiate signal-caller when the 2027 NFL Draft rolls around. Willis will be leading a roster that is one of the youngest in the NFL and, in the opinion of many pundits, in the running for a group that could be the league’s worst.
The Backup
While getting a chance to start three games in 2025, Quinn Ewers went 1-2 and showed some good and some bad in his four total appearances. He looked sharp in his victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17, where he threw for 172 yards and two scores on 14 of 22 passing, with a rating of 118.0 and no interceptions. He added 19 yards on the ground in his four rushes.
Ewers could push Willis in a competitive sense, but Miami is paying the former Packer to be their starter. Ewers was a 2025 seventh-round pick and could prove to be one of the league’s better backup quarterbacks with future upside. At just 23 years old, Ewers could carve out a lengthy career in the NFL with eventual starter potential.
As for 2026, he will likely be Willis’ backup, but Hafley has been happy with Ewers’ progress and what he has seen so far. Hafley told the media in June, “I think Quinn’s gotten better, and I just think Bobby (Slowik) and Bush (Hamdan) and KP (Kevin Patullo), I think they’ve all done a really good job in that room, and it will be exciting to really ramp them up when we get to training camp.”
The Battle for QB3
2025 Las Vegas Raiders sixth-round pick Cam Miller, out of North Dakota State, was signed by Miami last season on January 1. Miller was a two-time NCAA Division 1 FCS National Champion in 2021 and 2024, and MVFC Offensive Player of the Year in his final collegiate season, while also being runner-up for the Walter Payton Award. Miller finished his five years at NDSU with a total of 9,720 passing yards, 81 touchdowns and 19 interceptions and added 2,277 rushing yards on 526 carries with 48 scores.
He has yet to see the field in NFL action and will have to compete with 2026 undrafted free agent Mark Gronowski. Spending five years at South Dakota State, then transferring to Iowa for the 2025 season, Gronowski started 67 games in college and threw for 12,049 yards with 103 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. For Iowa last season, Gronowski threw for 1,741 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a completion percentage of 63.4%
The two will battle for who could potentially be the Dolphins’ third-string quarterback to make the 53-man roster, yet Miami could elect to just carry Willis and Ewers. In that event, Miller or Gronowski should end up on the practice squad, unless the Dolphins explore the free agency market, or the eventual scrap heap following roster cuts.
The wait is almost over, and football is in the air, and this concludes the Dolphins Wire’s eight-part series on what to look for in South Florida this summer.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins’ OTA takeaways, outlook to training camp Part VIII: Quarterbacks
Reporting by Jason Sarney, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jason Sarney, Dolphins Wire | USA TODAY Network
