Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis is rising in quarterback rankings despite not notching a win this season.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis appears to be growing each week. Despite not having a win under his belt yet, he is starting to get more comfortable in his role leading the offense.
Willis picked up a season-high 56 yards rushing, while also throwing for 210 yards through the air. While he remains lacking in the touchdown department, he is showing growth, which has led to his rise in the quarterback rankings.
NFL.com's Nick Shook provides weekly quarterback rankings and places all 32 starters on a list. For Willis, he has risen two spots in the rankings following Week 3.
Willis began the season at No. 30 because Shook and the rest of the league were not quite sure how the quarterback would operate in his first full season starting.
Week 2 saw him leap to No. 28, Week 3 led to a one-drop spot to No. 29, and now, ahead of Week 4, Willis is up to No. 27, the highest spot thus far.
"Malik Willis is operating in an offense that lost De'Von Achane (torn ACL) and is leaning on a collection of pass catchers that is undoubtedly the worst in the NFL. He and the Dolphins’ offense can move the ball, but they still have a hard time finishing drives. I appreciate the effort he’s made, but the results remain underwhelming," Shook said.
Willis is working with a very unproven wide receiver room that is being led by Malik Washington and rookie Chris Bell. Caleb Douglas showed some big skills in Week 1, but he suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 that has kept him sidelined.
Tight end Greg Dulcich finally emerged in Week 3 to the tune of 55 yards on five receptions.
Simply put, the Dolphins offense needs more, and Willis is working with what he has.
Bell picked up 67 yards on four receptions and showed off his speed, as he nearly hit 20 mph on a catch and run.
As stated, the growth is starting to show in the receiving room, and Willis is building his chemistry with the group. How and when that results in some touchdowns remains to be seen.
The issue with the Miami offense, that Shook almost mentioned is the inabiltiy to finish drives.
Willis is showing off some strong skills moving the chains with intermediate and deep throws, but the offense continually ends the march with field goals or worse. Once this team figures out a way to score, they could put up more of a fight.
Take Week 3, for instance: the Dolphins held the Kansas City Chiefs scoreless in the third quarter. The score was 14-10, but drives from the Miami offense continued to stall.
Now, with running back De'Von Achane out for the season, the offense took another big hit.
Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II are now expected to handle rushing duties, and there could be more of a push to get Willis to also use his legs.
Either way, as Willis grows, his ranking might also continue to rise.
Willis is No. 17 in the NFL in passing yards with 627. He just needs to start throwing touchdowns to get him right back in the mix as a near top-10 passer.
