Chris Perkins: Dolphins QB Malik Willis' injury issues keep accumulating, and that's troubling

Chris Perkins, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Nov 11, 2026

Published in Football

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins’ biggest fears about playing a smallish, agile quarterback have been realized.

Malik Willis, listed at 6 foot 1, 225 pounds, the same dimensions as Miami previous oft-injured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, is injured.

Willis’ groin injury, which has dogged him for at least two weeks, has reportedly morphed into a core muscle injury that requires rest. Willis, who was clearly affected by the injury in last Sunday’s 19-9 loss against the Detroit Lions, has been placed on the injured reserve list, meaning he’ll miss at least four of the final nine games this season for the Dolphins (1-7).

I suspected this groin ailment was a problem, which is why I wrote about it Friday. It was certainly a problem against the Lions, which is why I wrote about it Sunday. And I’m certain I’ll write about it again after coach Jeff Hafley addresses the situation on Wednesday.

Tuesday was a rough day in Dolphinsland. In the morning they learned defensive tackle Zach Sieler (biceps) would be out for the season, and in the afternoon they learned Willis will be out for several weeks. Throw in the season-ending knee injury to running back De’Von Achane and Miami is now without three of its six team captains as well as three of its best players.

The questions abound about Willis. And this rebuild.

How much will Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and Hafley take Willis’ injuries under consideration when they decide how high they select a quarterback in the NFL draft?

Must the Dolphins select a quarterback in the first round of next year’s draft?

Is Willis, a first-time starter, durable?

Is this a major judgment error and setback for Sullivan, Hafley and this rebuild?

The answers don’t come easily, but for me, the answers to those questions, in order, are — greatly; perhaps; as far as we know, no; possibly.

Exiting this season without a definitive answer on the quarterback position borders on making much of this first year of this rebuild fruitless and frustrating, but that’s where we’re at.

Willis, who has six touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 76.1 passer rating, all woeful numbers, has been on the injury report for four of the season’s nine weeks with three ailments — a toe injury, a right thumb injury, and the groin injury. And there’s reason to believe there might have been one or two more ailments.

Kyle McCord, the 2025 sixth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles, will presumably start this Sunday’s game at the Indianapolis Colts (2-7) and Brady Cook, who entered the league in 2025 with the New York Jets as an undrafted rookie, will presumably serve as backup.

On the surface, that’s brutal. But sometimes reality is different. We’ll soon find out. What we know for sure is that last Sunday the Dolphins thought it was preferable to play a slowed-down version of Willis rather than a full speed version of McCord.

It’s an interesting situation.

In the past two weeks I’ve asked Willis, Hafley and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik about Willis’ health and the fact that it seemed there were no runs called for him in the 24-19 loss to the New England Patriots two weeks ago.

There was concern, but not major concern.

I asked Willis about the groin after the Detroit game.

“It was a little tight,” he said, seemingly not wanting to elaborate.

I asked Hafley about the groin after the Lions game and he admitted Willis was affected.

“It was tight today and you could see it,” Hafley said. “You could see he couldn’t really open up.”

On Monday, I also asked running back Ollie Gordon II about Willis’ groin injury and whether it affected his performance in the loss to Detroit. Gordon claimed he didn’t know Willis had an ailment.

“I mean, y’all watched the game we watched,” Gordon began. “He was still back there escaping sacks, running out the pocket, rolling out, still making throws.

“That’s something I didn’t know, but for him to be a soldier and stay down and play through that, I feel like it just shows the type of leader he is for this team and the type of guy he is. And you want people around like that.”

I feel badly for Willis. He genuinely seems like a good guy. He’s finally getting his opportunity as a starter and now he gets injured.

I’ve liked some things that I’ve seen from Willis, but he hasn’t been good this season, to be sure.

Of course, Willis also might have less offensive help than any other quarterback in the league to go along with inexperience at the top. Think about it. Willis’ pass protection is suspect (his 24 sacks are tied for fifth-most in the NFL), his receivers, tight ends and running backs are all unproven, and his GM and coach are both rookies.

Willis’ injury isn’t a worst-case scenario for the Dolphins, but this is bad.

When Willis returns, whether that’s this season or next season, he’ll still be a smallish, agile quarterback, and that’s not usually a good combination for NFL longevity.

Or success.