Well at least we have figured out that Willis is a complete and total bust.

[Pappy13]

So there can be no question as to what the Dolphins are going to do in the first round of the draft. I'd take about 10 college QB's over Willis right now. Every game he gets more and more exposed.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

As Willis represents the most significant acquisition of the new GM that doesn't bode well for long term prospects of the team

[Downunder Dolphan]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bengals-jordan-battle-intercepts-malik-willis-after-tell-dolphins/

Not a good look when an opposition player called him out before the game, and then pulled in two interceptions.

[Sunstroke]

... I'd take about 10 college QB's over Willis right now. Every game he gets more and more exposed.

[wink-wink, nudge-nudge]

OK... If the group of suitable replacements for Willis is truly so plentiful, - maybe, just maybe - Miami could wait on QB and STILL get Megatron part deux (Jeremiah Smith) with their first pick...  

[/end wink-wink, nudge-nudge]

[Pappy13]

OK... If the group of suitable replacements for Willis is truly so plentiful, - maybe, just maybe - Miami could wait on QB and STILL get Megatron part deux (Jeremiah Smith) with their first pick...  

It's not that the group of suitable replacements is so plentiful, it's that Willis is just that bad. 9 out of 10 of those QB's would be absolutely dreadful as rookies....and yet still better than Willis. QB is the top priority. I don't care who you pick at WR, unless you have a competant QB, he's not going to do shit for Miami and we can't go through another year of this, we need a rookie QB who can be learning how to be a pro next year so that he can be decent in 2028. We can't wait any longer. You don't get a chance to get your pick of the litter very often, you have to take your shot at picking a franchise guy. You may not get it right, but you can't afford to not take your best shot at it.

The thing that really burns me about Willis is that Quin Ewers could have easily been this bad and saved $45 million. It was a bad choice and an even worse contract if that's even possible.

[Denver2]

It's not that the group of suitable replacements is so plentiful, it's that Willis is just that bad. 9 out of 10 of those QB's would be absolutely dreadful as rookies....and yet still better than Willis. QB is the top priority. I don't care who you pick at WR, unless you have a competant QB, he's not going to do shit for Miami and we can't go through another year of this, we need a rookie QB who can be learning how to be a pro next year so that he can be decent in 2028. We can't wait any longer. You don't get a chance to get your pick of the litter very often, you have to take your shot at picking a franchise guy. You may not get it right, but you can't afford to not take your best shot at it.

The thing that really burns me about Willis is that Quin Ewers could have easily been this bad and saved $45 million. It was a bad choice and an even worse contract if that's even possible.

I agree with this 100 percent

[Spider-Dan]

At some point one needs to ask what the actual plan with this team was.

If the Dolphins would have just kept their players and continued to pay out their contracts, would they be worse off than they are now?  The premise seems to be that 2027 will be much better under this approach but it's tough to see how that will be true.

If MIA just runs back the 2025 team in 2026 and 2027, how much "worse" would the team be than by paying the same players 9 figures to play for other teams?

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

At some point one needs to ask what the actual plan with this team was.

If the Dolphins would have just kept their players and continued to pay out their contracts, would they be worse off than they are now? 

No.  I think the plan was make decisions based on putting the Dolphins in the best position for 2027 & 2028 even if such moves hurt the Dolphins in 2026.  And the Dolphins basically followed that plan with the exception of signing Willis.

Pure speculation:  But the Willis situations smells of Sullivan being much more confident in Willis than Brian Gutekunst and LaFleur and his signing being a shot at proving them wrong.   

[Dave Gray]

If the Dolphins would have just kept their players and continued to pay out their contracts, would they be worse off than they are now?  The premise seems to be that 2027 will be much better under this approach but it's tough to see how that will be true.

I'm not saying that it was the right call, but I think the theory of the case was that Willis allowed you at least to function and evaluate your staff.  Specifically Tua put you in a position where the offense had to be designed around his limitations and it made it harder to gauge what you had.  Plus, I think that the narrative had become toxic and we would be in Tua discussion quicksand for 2 more years.

That's just my theory.

[Spider-Dan]

You can't gauge anything on an 0-17 team.

[Fau Teixeira]

You can't gauge anything on an 0-17 team.

not to be pedantic, but that's just wrong. You can evaluate lots on any team.

5 games in with 30% of snaps going to rookies on offense, it's completely premature to blame anything on willis or to predict his future.

over his 1st 16 starts peyton manning sucked .. he went 3-13 with a 60 ish passer rating

over his first 10 starts, willis is 3-7 with a 80 passer rating .. also sucks .. but less than peyton manning

so lets all chill on the whole willis is a bust talk until he has maybe not most inexperienced and lowest paid offense in the NFL .. but a very significant amount.

[Spider-Dan]

Peyton Manning was the #1 overall pick, so his first 16 starts essentially didn't matter.  He wasn't yet on the clock to prove anything.

If your team goes 0-17, heads will (and should) roll, so you won't learn anything because the new regime will want to do their own thing with their own guys.  The entire year is basically wasted.

[Fau Teixeira]

If your team goes 0-17, heads will (and should) roll, so you won't learn anything because the new regime will want to do their own thing with their own guys.  The entire year is basically wasted.

I disagree with your premise. If anything, a team that is only spending 34.66% of the salary cap on acitve players on the team is IMMUNE from win/loss hotseat pressure.

that's basically 1/3 rd of everyone else they face. They also faced teams with a total of 1 loss when they faced the dolphins.

lets just chill on the whole fire everyone and start over. This is what it looks like.

[Spider-Dan]

Let's stipulate that a wretched 2026 is The Cost Of Building A Team The Right Way.  What does 2028 have to look like in order to justify a completely uncompetitive and pathetic 2026?  A deep playoff run or everyone is fired?

That was my point with the "just keep running it back" comment.  Teams like the Seahawks, Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs were able to build contenders without completely bottoming out and becoming totally uncompetitive.  So if you just run it back with Tua/Chubb/Waddle and you win 5-9 games each year while allowing contracts to run their course, is 2028 so much worse?

If anything, a team that is only spending 34.66% of the salary cap on acitve players on the team is IMMUNE from win/loss hotseat pressure.

Paying 2/3rds of the cap to players not on the team was a choice by the front office.  They have to own their decisions.

[Phishfan]

not to be pedantic, but that's just wrong. You can evaluate lots on any team.

5 games in with 30% of snaps going to rookies on offense, it's completely premature to blame anything on willis or to predict his future.

over his 1st 16 starts peyton manning sucked .. he went 3-13 with a 60 ish passer rating

over his first 10 starts, willis is 3-7 with a 80 passer rating .. also sucks .. but less than peyton manning

so lets all chill on the whole willis is a bust talk until he has maybe not most inexperienced and lowest paid offense in the NFL .. but a very significant amount.

Manning was a first year rookie and Willis is a 5th year pro only starting because the job was gifted to him.