Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said there is no Dolphins QB change coming during the team’s bye week, confirming Malik Willis will remain the starter despite an 0-5 start to the season. Hafley made the comments after Miami’s 31-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Week 5.
“We’ve played five games, and Malik is our quarterback,” Hafley said, closing the door on any immediate competition at the position heading into the break.
Hafley Confirms Willis Will Stay Under Center
The decision comes after Willis completed 15 of 27 passes for 137 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions against Cincinnati. Hafley did not hedge when asked about his quarterback’s job security, even with the Dolphins sitting winless five weeks into the season.
Hafley was direct about where the blame should land, though he did not spare Willis entirely. “Malik needs to be better, OK? And that’s not the headline.
The headline is we all need to be better, and I mean that… It’s the receivers, it’s the tight ends, it’s the protection. It all has to tie in, and it all has to be better,” Hafley said.
What The Bye Week Decision Means For Miami
By ruling out a Dolphins QB change during the bye week, Hafley is betting that Willis’ issues are fixable rather than terminal. The coach pointed specifically to ball security as a priority area. “We got to look hard at it during the bye week…
We talk about ball security all the time and we work on it and we’ve got to do a better job of putting him in those situations and he’s got to have the awareness to protect the ball as well. We’ll take a hard look at fixing that because we’re not going to win games if we’re fumbling the ball like that,” Hafley said.
The approach gives Willis an extended runway without the threat of an in-season benching hanging over the bye, at least for now. Kyle McCord remains Willis’ backup and would be the next option if Hafley were to change course later in the season, according to Yahoo Sports.
Willis’ Numbers Through Five Games
Willis has thrown for 849 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions through five games, completing 56.2% of his passes for a 43.9 quarterback rating. His two touchdown passes rank as the fewest among NFL starting quarterbacks this season.
There were signs of improvement late against Cincinnati. Willis threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. and led a late scoring drive in the fourth quarter, according to the Miami Herald. The outlet’s analysis argued Willis should start Miami’s next game but suggested the team consider a temporary switch to McCord if the struggles continue, with the option to return to Willis if McCord does not perform better.
What’s Next
The Dolphins are off this week before returning to action against the New York Jets on Oct. 25. Hafley’s comments make clear that barring a reversal during the break, Willis will be under center when Miami takes the field against New York.
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