Dolphins Wednesday Mailbag: Where Willis Was Right, Where Willis Was Wrong

Part 1 of a bye week Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Dusty:

Why did Malik Willis slide there?

Hey Dusty, I’ve seen this come up a few times on social media, complaints from fans about Willis sliding at the end of his 39-yard run in the fourth quarter and I’m not on board with it all. There were a lot of things to criticize about Willis’ play in that game, but this play wasn’t it. Fans are looking at the overhead shot that showed Willis maybe had a path to more yards right in front of him, but not realizing there was a Bengals defender chasing him from behind, another coming from the side and Willis was at the end of a long run. He’s also a quarterback and QBs absolutely should slide instead of taking an unnecessary hit, which is what likely would have happen — in the fourth quarter of a game the Dolphins were trailing 28-10, by the way.

From Chris the Bartender:

What the most reasonable improvement Malik could make in the bye week that would have a tangible impact on his play? In my mind, it’s his footwork when he’s actually throwing the ball.

Hey Chris, focusing on setting his feet when he throws absolutely is one area where Willis can improve, but the biggest is decision-making and when to throw and where to go with the ball, and those won’t be solved during a bye week.

From Mason:

Hello Alain, thank you for your amazing coverage. With the trade deadline looming, who are the players that could possibly be on the move? It would be great if they send Zach Sieler to a playoff-contending team. This player is a class act and deserves better.

From Jon Pack:

Alain, who are the players on this team that could possibly be traded by the deadline?

Hey Mason, yeah, any discussion of which players the Dolphins could move has to start with Sieler given his standing, age and contract. Then we probably should throw in guys like Austin Jackson, Josh Uche and I’ve also seen Greg Dulcich’s name put out there because he’s on a one-year contract, though I think the Dolphins would want to bring him back.

SIZING UP BOBBY SLOWIK

From Matt Morrissey:

Hi Alain, what’s your view on the OC position, any parallels with previous OCs and their longevity? Any predictions on who might shake loose next year as a Slowik replacement.

Hey Matt, Slowik was retain to keep some continuity with the scheme and some of its key players, like De’Von Achane, Aaron Brewer and Patrick Paul (to name three). The parallel I would see applies to a coordinator, but not on offense, but rather Josh Boyer being retained by Mike McDaniel as defensive coordinator in 2022. I haven’t even begun to think about Slowik being replaced after this season because it’s just too early to decide the offense can’t success with him calling the shots.

From Bamboo Turkey:

With JS out and AJ not playing his best ball, could you see the tackle we got from NE playing a Brunskill type of 6th lineman on the right side? Worked last year.

They have used Wallace on occasion so far this season, but I don’t seem that becoming a staple of the offense in 2026 (though I never say never).

From Damian from Pittsburgh:

Mr P - Looking past the growing pains of this year, I'm feel pretty good about MIA's rookies. Looking like 4-5 legit NFL starters, with at least a couple having very high ceilings. (Rodriguez looks like the Truth.) Thinking back to the Grier era, I can't remember so many players contributing this quickly. Question, is it just recency bias, or did Sully show his draft acumen in a way Grier simply never could?

Hey Damian, as you mentioned, it is very, very early, but it does look as though Jon-Eric Sullivan maxed out his premium picks this year with Kadyn Proctor, Chris Johnson and Jacob Rodriguez a lot better than Grier did in 2020 with the three first-round picks. Sullivan also had a lot of extra ammunition this year and it does look promising for picks like Caleb Douglas, Will Kacmarek, Chris Bell and Trey Moore, but it’s just too early to make definitive statements.

From InvaderCB:

Is there no coach or veteran on the team or out there who could teach these young receivers to get more separation?

Don’t think for a second that new wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert isn’t working with his players on that and every other aspect of the position every single practice. Some of it is just natural ability, though.

DRAFTING A QUARTERBACK IN 2027

From Jon Russell:

Hey Alain, if MW continues to play like this, will it accelerate the need to draft a QB in ’27? There was some thought we could continue to add pieces, roll with MW another year, then draft a QB in rd 1 in ’28. That seems questionable at this point?

Hey Jon, that’s a completely fair assessment because the Dolphins want to have the quarterback situation settled sooner rather than later, but they also don’t want to rush the process and ideally would build a strong infrastructure (or supporting cast) before getting a young QB to come in. In an ideal world, Willis becomes a franchise-type quarterback or at least somebody the Dolphins can win big with and they could go another round with Willis in 2027, but if they think they can compete next year and Willis isn’t the guy, then it might force their hand.

From Jorge Francisco boyd:

Hi Alain, do you think Malik Willis is regressing. Last game was his worst game of the season; which game do you think could become the first Dolphins victory this season?

Hey Jorge, I don’t know if Willis is regressing, even though there’s no question he played his worst game against Cincinnati. Also understand his performance is affected by those around him. As for the first win, the game after the bye against the Jets certainly is one that’s very winnable, but it’s the Patriots and Lions after that with a trip to Indianapolis in Week 10. So I’d say the Jets or Colts stand out right now as the most likely targets for that first win.

From Noel B one:

The decision-making at QB is driving me nuts. Isn't throwing the ball away vs. losing yards taught in QB 101? Seems like a coaching failure as much as poor choices.

Hey Noel, no, that sack on second-and-goal from the 3-yard line was on Willis. There’s no world where Willis hasn’t been told that in that circumstance he needs to throw the ball out of bounds once he’s out of the pocket to make it an incomplete pass instead of unnecessarily losing 8 yards. That was a really bad case of a quarterback who’s badly trying to make something happen and refuses to accept a play being dead. He did something similar earlier in the season when he stepped out of bounds for a 4-yard loss instead of throwing the ball out of bounds. There’s really no excuse for that.