How the Dolphins Offense Can Help Out Malik Willis

Malik Willis already is sitting near the bottom of a leaderboard no quarterback wants to be on two weeks into his first season with the Miami Dolphins.

The 27-year-old has completed just 58% of his passes (29 of 50), with only three current starting quarterbacks posting a lower completion percentage through Week 2.

And he hasn’t exactly made up for the low completion rate by being a gunslinger, as his passing-yard total still ranks in the bottom half of the league.

When defenses send pressure, things have gotten considerably worse.

Willis has completed just 33% of his (6 out of 18) passes against the blitz.

But a closer look at the film shows pointing the finger at the quarterback doesn’t tell the whole story.

Willis has left throws on the field. He’s also been inaccurate on plays where personnel and play design offer no excuse.

At the same time, Miami continues to put their new quarterback in situations where the margin for error disappears almost immediately.

Why the Struggle?

There are some plays where the blame begins and ends with Willis.

His wild throw to DJ Herman near the flats in the first quarter against San Francisco was one. Even with the pressure in his face, it was a throw an NFL quarterback has to make.

Other snaps are more complicated.

On Miami’s first offensive play against the 49ers, the Dolphins lined up in 12 personnel, leaving Willis with only two routes developing more than five yards downfield.

Malik Washington ran a deep crosser while Caleb Douglas worked a post on the opposite side. As Willis rolled left, Washington briefly ran through an open window across the field, but Willis failed to pull the trigger during the small period when the throw was available.

That part falls on the quarterback, but the play design shows the other side of the problem.

He was already evading pressure before Douglas had even reached the break on his route. De’Von Achane flashed open underneath for only a moment, and even that throw would have required Willis to change his arm angle and wrap it around Fred Warner. Once Washington’s window closed, Willis was left outside the pocket with no realistic option before eventually throwing the ball away.

Yes, identifying that brief window is part of the job for any quarterback, even down to the high school level. But a more quarterback-friendly system creates multiple viable options that stress different areas of the defense, giving Willis somewhere else to turn when he’s a step late on his first read.

Another example of Miami putting Willis in a tough spot came against Las Vegas.

While operating from 12 personnel again, Willis saw Washington isolated outside against press coverage, with the safety shaded toward the left hash. With the Raiders bringing pressure and Douglas still working toward his dig on the opposite side, Willis correctly identified the one-on-one matchup and gave Washington a chance down the sideline.

The problem was that the favorable matchup required 5-foot-8 Malik Washington to play like he was about 6 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier. Washington somehow managed to hang on while being squeezed all the way toward the boundary, but couldn’t get both feet down before carrying out of bounds.

There wasn’t anything wrong with Willis’ decision, he correctly identified where the ball needed to go before the pressure arrived and gave his receiver an opportunity.

Washington has shown he can create explosive plays, but asking a 5-foot-8 receiver not named Tyreek Hill to beat press coverage on contested vertical throws near the sideline is different than getting him into space and utilizing his quickness

And with Douglas, again, not yet out of his break, there wasn’t another downfield option available by the time Willis needed to release the ball.

Sometimes Willis actually misses the answer.

Other times, the personnel or the construction of the play makes completing it considerably more difficult.

That doesn’t absolve him. But at some point, help the guy out.

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