Where the Willis Anticipation Ranks Among Dolphins All-Time Quarterbacks

The Miami Dolphins will be unveiling a new starting quarterback in 2026 with Malik Willis taking over for Tua Tagovailoa as the latest to try to lead the team to that elusive playoff victory.

Willis comes to Miami as a bit of an unknown commodity because of his limited NFL experience, which consists of six starts over his first four seasons, but with a certain level of promise because of the electric ability he displayed in his appearances with the Green Bay Packers last season.

Barring a major surprise or unfortunate injury, Willis likely will become the after 10th different opening-day starting quarterback for the Dolphins since Dan Marino retired in March 2000, following Jay Fiedler, Gus Frerotte, Daunte Culpepper, Trent Green, Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Ryan Tannehill, Jay Cutler, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tagovailoa.

This, of course, followed an incredible 32-year run where the list of opening-day quarterbacks consisted of only four names - Bob Griese, Don Strock, David Woodley and Marino.

Because of the mystery surrounding Willis, which basically consists of "how good is he?", we'd make the argument that the level of anticipation is among the highest for a new Dolphins quarterback.

But exactly where would Willis rank on that particular list?

Funny you should ask.

RANKING THE POST-MARINO DOLPHINS QUARTERBACKS BY LEVEL OF EXCITEMENT/ANTICIPATION BEFORE THEIR MIAMI DEBUT

1. Daunte Culpepper, 2006

Yes, the decision to trade for Culpepper rather than sign Drew Brees as a free agent backfired spectacularly, but that didn't become apparent until after that 2006 season began. Heading into it, the expectations were that adding Culpepper to a team that had finished 9-7 in Nick Saban's first year as head coach might make the Dolphins Super Bowl contenders, which is exactly what Sports Illustrated predicted.

2. Tua Tagovailoa, 2020

While there were questions about Tua's hip following that regrettable injury he sustained in his final season at Alabama, he was wildly successful as a college passer and the hope was that his game would translate to the NFL.

3. Malik Willis, 2026

The investment the Dolphins made in Willis, guaranteeing $45 million over the next two years, is pretty small by today's standards but still large enough to indicate that new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley saw enough in Green Bay the past two years to believe Willis can lead the team where it wants to go.

4. Chad Pennington, 2008

Pennington maybe never was considered an elite quarterback, but he was more than serviceable and his arrival in August after he was released by the New York Jets after they signed Brett Favre provided a massive upgrade over what Miami had on the roster.

5. Ryan Tannehill, 2012

While Tannehill was the eighth overall pick, there wasn't the buzz one normally would associate with that heading into training camp because it looked early on as though veteran David Garrard would be the starting quarterback in his rookie season. Once Garrard got injured in a freakish backyard accident and Tannehill was moving into the starting lineup, there was as much trepidation as there was excitement.

6. Jay Cutler, 2017

Adam Gase's decision to bring his former Chicago Bears QB out of the TV booth after Ryan Tannehill went down with a knee injury at the start of camp wasn't necessarily met with a ton of enthusiasm but rather questions about Cutler's commitment.

7. Trent Green, 2007

Green was two years removed from a 4,000-yard passing season when the Dolphins acquired him to lead the offense in Cam Cameron's first year as head coach, but there was some trepidation there after he had missed half the previous season with a head injury - and that cloud proved accurate as he went down in the fifth game with a concussion.

8. Ryan Fitzpatrick, 2019

The whole 2019 season was weird because the Dolphins were resetting, rebuilding or tanking - whichever term you want to use - so there was no way anybody was going to get excited about an incoming quarterback, whether it was Ryan Fitzpatrick or Josh Rosen.

9. Gus Frerotte, 2005

There was excitement around the team in 2005 because Nick Saban was taking over as head coach, but Frerotte hadn't started more than six games in any of the previous seven seasons, so he wasn't exactly somebody who was going to jazz up the fan bases.

10. Jay Fiedler, 2000

Whoever was going to follow Marino as the starting quarterback was going to be in a tough spot, but the fact that Fiedler had started one game in six years since first entering the NFL didn't make his addition any more exciting for the fan base.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 3:15 PM.