‘One day at a time.’ How Dolphins QB Malik Willis is adapting to leadership role
Leadership can come in different forms.
It can be quiet and example-driven. It can be loud, getting in everyone’s face until the intended emotion — respect — transforms into fear. Or it can be a combination of both, one where the silence portrays confidence and only disappears when the situation presents itself.
For Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis, leadership is inherent to his position. The hopes and prayers of entire city — or in some cases, state or even region — rest squarely on a franchise quarterback’s shoulders. To call that pressure would be an understatement, yet Willis appears to have taken his newfound responsibility in stride.
“I’m just trying to take it one day at a time and do what I can to put the work in and try to hold others accountable, as well as let them hold me accountable,” Willis said Tuesday.
His mindset, in fact, hasn’t even changed.
“You got to be grateful in this league and this opportunity,” Willis said. “Whether you’re first or fourth, it doesn’t matter. You got to take advantage of each day and try to work as hard as you can to get better.”
That Willis hasn’t changed in spite of the new opportunity should be applauded. There’s a certain hunger that comes along with being a backup quarterback, especially if you were drafted to eventually succeed the starter as Willis was when the Tennessee Titans selected him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. To have that same motivation in Year 5, his first as surefire starter, is admirable, especially considering that his career likely hasn’t gone as planned.
After accumulating just three starts over a two-year period in Tennessee, the Titans eventually shipped him to the Green Bay Packers. There, he backed up Jordan Love, an opportunity that he later said helped him better learn the game.
“That was my first time in the same system,” Willis said during his introductory news conference in mid-March. “I had three different offenses before I got there in two years, so that was kind of tough, but I learned a lot. I learned a lot, and those were three different types of systems.”
Now in Miami with a few of the very same people that saw his potential in Green Bay, Willis has to juggle learning yet another new system with ingratiating himself to his teammates and leading a franchise. Coach Jeff Hafley, one of the very same people whom Willis impressed, had very clear instructions about the leadership portion.
“My main focus for him right now is to learn, learn the scheme, get to know the players and not overdo the whole leadership thing,” Hafley said Tuesday. “I think that’s my job and our job right now so he can focus on becoming the best quarterback and the best player and the best teammate he can be. Don’t worry about the other stuff right now, and that’s been my message to him so he doesn’t have to worry about all that. I think that’s really important as we get started.”
Whether by treating his offensive line to dinner or taking the time to support an equipment staffer, Willis has apparently found his unique way to lead.
“It’s about building trust,” Willis said. “Every play we go out there, whether it’s calling the play, whether it’s executing the play, whether it’s making sure somebody else can get lined up. You build that over time, and I don’t think you just put somebody in a position and say, OK, you’re a leader now. You’ve got to earn that, and that’s from top to bottom.”
Added Willis: “It’s been awesome getting to know all the guys. A bunch of guys love ball in this building, and I think that’s awesome. We can all vibe around that. And like you said, we get this opportunity right now of OTAs and Phase 1 and Phase 2 to just grow and get to know each other, get to know the scheme we’re going to be in and try to work together and get this thing done.”
