Malik Willis, the Miami Dolphins’ starting quarterback, just got placed on injured reserve this Tuesday. An MRI on Monday confirmed what everyone probably feared: his core muscle injury had gotten worse. Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley isn’t messing around, immediately shutting down any quarterback controversy talk. Kyle McCord is the man under center now, plain and simple.
Willis’s $67.5 Million Question Mark
Coach Hafley was pretty clear about the situation, emphasizing that the team wants Willis to get healthy and rest up. You could see the struggle, right? Hafley himself pointed out how much Willis struggled to move during that Week 9 loss to Detroit. He was gritting through the pain, sure, but he just couldn’t move like he did earlier in the year. This is a huge hit, especially after the team signed Willis to a whopping three-year, $67.5 million deal back in March. His health is becoming the franchise’s biggest headache.
We all saw Willis’s initial eight starts: six touchdowns, six interceptions, completing 58.2% of his passes for 1,396 yards. He flashed that arm talent and mobility that got him the big contract, but his decision-making has been super inconsistent. That loss to the Lions on Sunday, November 8, was just ugly, with Willis throwing an interception and only getting 128 passing yards. His groin tightness during that game was a loud signal that this injury was becoming a serious, season-altering issue.
McCord Takes The Wheel For Now
So, with Willis sidelined, Kyle McCord is the new guy in charge. He’s stepping up for the upcoming matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. The Dolphins grabbed McCord from the Green Bay Packers this summer, only giving up a future sixth-round pick. He hasn’t even taken a regular-season snap for Miami yet, but he’s saying all the right things, talking about being an “ultimate competitor” and confident his speed in processing information and accuracy will help him succeed in his first NFL start.
Hafley also made it abundantly clear: if Willis somehow manages to return soon, he’ll be the starting quarterback. No debate there. But the coach also said they need to get through these next four weeks first. After that, they’ll see how many games are left in the season, probably around four or five. That timeline is going to decide if we see Willis back on the field before the season wraps up.
The Dolphins are heading into a seriously tough stretch without their planned franchise quarterback. McCord’s first big test is this Sunday, November 15, against the Colts, kicking off at 1 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium. This next month is gonna tell us everything we need to know about this Dolphins team and their playoff hopes.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply