Greg Cote: Four reasons Dolphins and QB Malik Willis are perfect fit

MIAMI — It seems obvious, but it might not be. Seems easy, but might not happen without a fight.

The Miami Dolphins signing free agent quarterback Malik Willis should be an offseason priority or close to it as the club’s new leaders dig into this major rebuild.

That should be clear because Miami has a glaring need at the most important position, and Willis is the best guy available. But it might not be obvious to the Dolphins’ new regime because there are myriad other roster needs and Miami — even with the early exodus of Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb and others saving more than $50 million against the salary cap — still must be a judicious shopper moving forward.

Also, it’s no given Willis would be an easy get for the Fins even if they do go after him, thought you would imagine an inside track because Willis played in Green Bay the past two seasons under Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley, the Dolphins’s new general manager and head coach. The complication is that Willis will be a popular target, with other QB-needy suitors likely including Cleveland, and perhaps also Arizona, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and of course the New York Jets.

A few reasons why signing Willis should be Priority 1 as Miami in 2026 will start a season with a new GM, new head coach and different starting QB for the first time since 2005:

— Talent/potential: “Willis [is] the No. 1 free agent passer [and] could be underrated,” wrote analytics website Pro Football Focus. “Even though the former third-round pick [by Tennessee] saw just 314 snaps over the past two seasons with the Packers, he flashed enough potential to earn a starting position elsewhere.”

In 11 games (three starts) for Green Bay the past two years, Willis, only 26, completed 78.7% of his passes with six touchdowns, no interceptions and a 134.6 passer rating. Of 61 QBs with at least as many passing attempts in that span, Willis led everyone in accuracy, rating and yards per attempt with 10.9.

Small sample, but one hinting at big upside, a high ceiling. That includes big numbers on distance throws.

QB-turned-analyst Chris Simms: “I think Malik Willis is a superstar. [He] has proven he’s got special talent. He has a special arm. He’s got special mobility. He knows how to run the offense and do all of that.”

— Team need: It’s glaringly apparent Tua Tagovailoa’s time in Miami is done. Former coach Mike McDaniel benched him late last season and the incoming regime has hardly been throwing Tagovailoa public bouquets of confidence. Barring a stunning surprise, he will be traded (ideally) or released outright, either move at great financial cost to Miami.

That would leave only Quinn Ewers, a rookie last year who showed mixed results in three late starts, and Cam Miller, a rookie signed from the Raiders’ practic squad.

Ewers vs. Willis would make for intriguing competition. One can prove himself starting caliber. The Fins would double the chance they might have one of those again at last.

— The cost: The 2027 NFL draft being rich in quarterbacks will lessen the likelihood of an all-out bidding war for Willis. I think you get him for a range of $10 million to $15 million per year. Maybe $40M over two years tops?

Given the position and the need, that’s affordable even for a team with salary-cap issues and about to take a massive financial hit by parting ways with an under-contract Tagovailoa given way too good a deal by the previous regime.

— The timing: This isn’t a great offseason for available QBs, unless you prefer either Daniel Jones coming off a serious injury or ancient rental Aaron Rodgers. Willis has the youth and potential to think he could be the long-term answer. And the ‘26 NFL draft won’t provide an alternate solution. Foregone No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza of Indiana (and Miami Columbus High) is the only certified first-round talent at the position.

Miami would have QB options in the 2027 draft, with at least five QBs seen as likely first-rounders starting with Arch Manning but dipping all the way to the low 20s.

So Willis (or Ewers) would have a full season to prove themselves and answer whether drafting a QB in ‘27 was necessary.

I’ve mentioned four ingredients that combined make a pretty potent get-Willis cocktail.

There is one argument against. (I heard from some of y’all raising it even as you angrily read this.)

The real only argument against signing Willis is that the Dolphins should intentionally be awful next season. “Tank for Arch?” No. Willis is too good to pass by, and the ‘27 draft is too full of QBs it won’t take tanking to get.

The Dolphins last spent top-10 first round picks on Tagovailoa in 2020 and on Ryan Tannehill in 2012. Both lasted long enough and did just enough to tease us, to have fans spend most of around six years debating whether they were good enough. The answer on both was an ultimate no.

The franchise spent all that time spinning wheels. It’s why there is a new GM and a new coach today.

The answer isn’t always found in the first round.

Maybe sometimes it’s hidden there in the third round, waiting for its chance. Sometimes it takes a few years to make its way through Nashville and Green Bay, but gets to you eventually ... and it feels like destiny.

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