Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley Has No Intention of Benching Malik Willis

The Miami Dolphins now have five games under their belts, along with five losses. One major component of those losses is the struggles that quarterback Malik Willis has had.

Willis has 849 passing yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 68.4. Simply put, he has not been the cleanest passer in the league, but Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley has no intention of benching him.

Hafley said earlier this offseason that 2026 would not be judged by wins and losses. While that statement has certainly rung true, given that the team has not won a single game, Hafley is also sticking to his proverbial guns about allowing players to develop.

Willis is among them.

Despite Willis being in the league since the 2022 season, he only had six starts to his name prior to joining the Dolphins. If the rookies are to get a full season to develop, that should apply to the quarterback as well. 

Hafley also spoke about Willis being considered more of a rookie starter given his past experience, but that does not absolve him of any judgment. The Dolphins head coach simply said, "Malik needs to play better."

"We've played five games, and Malik is our quarterback," Hafley emphatically said.

Willis is growing right alongside the rest of this Dolphins team. To his credit, he is also working with a receiving group that was already rough to start the regular season and has since lost its top performer, Caleb Douglas.

Regardless of the situational circumstances, Hafley pointed to the team needing to be better. The losses do not fall solely on the shoulders of Willis. 

"We need to be better. Malik needs to be better, but that's not the headline. The headline is that we all need to be better, and I mean that. I thought yesterday for the first time we ran the ball really well, and we moved the ball ... but everything in the pass game has to be better. The receivers, it's the tight end, it's the protection. It all has to tie in, and it all has to be better," Hafley said.

Hafley spoke about the downfalls of the Dolphins thus far being a collective, and not due to Willis' struggles. In terms of the passing game, the coach spoke about the offensive line, the tight ends, the calls, the coaching, and everything.

Miami has a chance to address all of that and come up with a plan to turn things around, as the team is set for their Week 6 bye. 

Following the bye, they will face another strong set of opponents in the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, and Indianapolis Colts. 

These are all teams that have been highly competitive and will continue to be. The Dolphins will need to figure out a way to get the offense and pass game going, as well as find a way to maximize the skill set that Willis possesses.

Willis showed how dangerous he can be when using his legs, as he secured 74 yards and one touchdown on the ground. 

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik will need to call the right plays to put Willis and the rest of the defense in the right position to succeed. If he does not, there may be a bigger conversation needing to happen from Hafley on where the offense is going in general. 

For now, Willis will remain the quarterback.