Projected Role & Competition
The Dolphins signed Willis to a three-year deal with $45 million in guarantees and $67.5 million in max value, effectively committing to him for at least two seasons.
Willis is locked in as the QB1 for 2026, with Quinn Ewers set to back him up.
Supporting Cast
Here’s where things fall apart.
Miami moved on from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, leaving a ragtag group to compete for snaps.
The main contenders:
- Jalen Tolbert
- Tutu Atwell
- Malik Washington
- Caleb Douglas
- Chris Bell
Tolbert spent four years in Dallas and earned the No. 2 WR role only once. Even then he managed just 49 catches for 610 yards and 7 TDs in 2024, with Dallas attempting the league’s third-most passes (637). Tolbert fell back to just 1.4 catches per game last season.
Atwell missed six games last year with a hamstring injury that he aggravated in Week 7. The Rams made him a healthy scratch for the postseason. When healthy, he caught only six passes.
Washington gives Miami a 5’8, 195-pound slot target, but he has managed just 7.5 yards per catch through 72 career receptions.
Then come the rookies. Douglas went in Round 3, earlier than most draft analysts expected. He brings size and speed at 6’3, 203 with a 4.39-second 40 time, but he’s not a strong separator and posted just a 44th-percentile dominator rating in college.
Douglas is fine as a developmental player, but Miami may need him in a real role, which is not ideal for Willis.
Bell, another Round 3 rookie, projects as the better pro. He’s a thicker target (6’2, 222) with explosive run-after-catch ability, but a November ACL tear will likely slow his start to the season.
Miami lacks an impact TE, too. Greg Dulcich was a fine pickup in 2025, but he managed just 26 catches, 335 yards, and 1 TD in 10 games.
It looks like one of the worst pass-catching groups in recent history.
Miami’s O-line remained poor in 2025, finishing 28th in Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade and 24th in ESPN’s pass-block win rate metric.
The left side looks promising for 2026, with mammoth Round 1 pick Kadyn Proctor sliding into the LG spot between LT Patrick Paul and C Aaron Brewer. But Miami needs to see a big Year 2 jump from RG Jonah Savaiinaea, while RT Austin Jackson has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons.
Coaching & Offensive Scheme
Willis will learn a new offense under new Dolphins OC Bobby Slowik.
The 39-year-old first earned a playcalling role with Houston in 2023 and found immediate success, with top-13 finishes in total yards, scoring, passing yards, and passing TDs. Houston also ranked fourth in offensive pace.
That success lasted only one more season in Houston, after the offense fell to 22nd in yards and 19th in points.
Slowik spent last year as Miami’s pass-game coordinator, but the Fins were a fantasy wasteland: 31st in plays, 31st in pace, and 30th in pass rate over expected.
Slowik said this offseason that the “bones” of former HC Mike McDaniel’s offense will remain.
"I believe in running the ball, believe strongly in running the ball," Slowik said via USA Today. I think most of the successful teams in the NFL these days run the ball really well at a high clip and really build it from there as far as you got to win in the trenches. I like keeping the defense off balance. It’s probably my No. 1 thing as far as what I look for as a play caller.”
That approach, paired with Miami’s thin receiving group, sets Willis up for low pass volume.
Paths to Ceiling
It’s all about the rushing.
Over the past two seasons in Green Bay, Willis owns 42 carries, 261 yards, and 3 TDs. That’s in 11 appearances, although the bulk of his production came in three starts.
We project Willis for 661 rushing yards, second-most at the position behind Jayden Daniels. If the Dolphins get him close enough to the end zone to boost Willis beyond the 5 rushing TDs we project, then he could crack the position’s top 12 in fantasy points.
