The Miami Dolphins have acquired a new QB to take over the franchise this offseason in now former Packers’ backup QB Malik Willis. Willis is an unproven commodity in the sport but has a ton of potential to be a star in the NFL and finally be the player at the QB spot who turns around the Dolphins. Willis has drawn comparisons to two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and to Super Bowl MVP QB Jalen Hurts as well. The sky is the limit for Willis as I absolutely feel that he could be Lamar Jackson but clutch. As Lamar Jackson is likely the most talented player in league history, and the only thing that has kept him for winning multiple Super Bowls and being on pace to be the greatest ever, is his consistent very subpar postseason performances.
When comparing Malik Willis’ physical attributes to that of Lamar Jackson’s there are many parallels to be drawn. The players are essential doppelgangers of one another as QB talents, with again Lamar Jackson being perhaps the most talented player at the QB position in league history. Lamar Jackson stands at 6 feet 2 ¼ inches while Malik Willis stands at 6 feet and ½ inch. However, Lamar Jackson’s most recently reported weight was 205 pounds while Malik Willis’ most recently reported weight was between 215 and 225 pounds. With both players likely hovering around an elite 6-7% body fat range, Malik is still heavier despite being shorter. So, Malik is likely the bigger stronger player at the QB spot when compared to Jackson. When comparing the speed of both the players, neither ran the 40-yard dash during the NFL combine but both ran it during college. Lamar Jackson was timed at 4.34 seconds during his 40-yard dash while Willis was timed at 4.37 seconds during college. Essentially no difference in terms of foot speed with the minute difference between the two in terms of the 40-yard dash time being attributed to Willis being slightly shorter. In terms of physical attributes, the two are neck and neck, Jackson is slightly taller, but Willis is slightly bigger and stronger, with the two being equally as fast. Willis will also play next season at the peak athletic age of 27 while Jackson will turn 30 years old if/when Baltimore makes the playoffs next season. So, Jackson may be in line to start to show a slight athletic decline as many if not most athletes show once they hit 30, while Willis will play next season at his athletic peak age.
In terms of on the field play, Willis outside of his rookie season was neck and neck with Jackson as well. Ever since Jackson has entered his prime, he consistently has a passer rating that is above 100 including a 119.6 passer rating during one of his MVP seasons which is amongst the highest in a single season in NFL history. Take out Willis’ rookie season where he was learning on the job and his passer rating has been 118.8 or above in every season since, albeit in limited snaps. During the 2023 season with the Titans, he threw the ball only 5 times completing 4 of them and logged a 118.8 passer rating for the year. During the 2024 season he threw the ball 54 times for the Packers and logged a 124.8 passer rating with the all-time single season record being 122.5. During the 2025 season, he threw the ball 35 times and logged a 145.5 passer rating as well. It would be next to impossible to throw the ball any better than Willis has outside of his rookie season. In terms of running the ball there are stark similarities between Willis and Jackson as well. Willis struggled to adjust as a rookie in 2022 and ran it only 5 times during his second season in the NFL in 2023. During the past two seasons, Willis’ running number have ranked up there with any QB in the sport. Over the past two seasons, Willis has averaged 6.2 yards per rushing attempt while accumulating 261 rushing yards. Jackson, outside of his rookie season, also stands at exactly 6.2 rush yards per attempt as well.
However, Lamar Jackson has been producing at an elite level in the NFL for years while Willis has only done so in about 2-3 games worth of snaps. Over the past two seasons, the defenses that Willis has gone up against have been questionable at best as well. During the 2025 season the two teams that Willis logged substantial snaps against were the Bears and Ravens. With each of those teams finishing below average in terms of points per game allowed during the 2025 season. Although both the Bears’ and Ravens’ defenses this past season had an elite ceiling but just lacked consistency. During the 2024 season the three defenses that he logged substantial snaps against ranked 13th, 30th, and 24th in terms of points per game allowed. Although the Bears’ defenses that ranked 13th that year and the Colts’ defense that ranked 24th that year were still solid units. With the only bottom feeding defense that Willis went up against being the Titans’ defense that ranked 30th. Although it is not as if Willis has just stockpiled numbers against poor defenses, he certainly has not shown he can play at a high level against truly high-level defenses with regularity.
In regards to the help that Willis had around him in Green Bay during the past two seasons where he has been elite, I can offer the following. Head coach Matt Lafleur, with his offensive background along with Green Bay having an established offensive coordinator working under him, certainly went a long way towards having Willis play at such a high level. However, Lafleur is clearly a very sharp offensive mind, but no one confuses him with being in the truly elite class of offensive coach’s that the likes of Andy Reid, Sean McVay, and Kyle Shanahan are in. Green Bay offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich who has been in the role since 2022 is solid but not spectacular as well. As although having a proven coordinator in the role who is not a rookie or unqualified as an offensive coordinator is beneficial. It is certainly not as if Stenavich is amongst the elite coordinators in the game garnering heavy head coaching interest on a perennial basis. From an offensive personnel standpoint the Packers were also good but not special as well. The Packers’ wide receiver unit during Malik Willis’ time there was consistently below average and the remainder of the team’s personnel groupings on offense outside of running back were good but not great. The personnel that Willis had around him on offense during his time with the Packers was slightly above average and nothing special either.
In totality, the potential for Willis to become a superstar NFL QB is there and the Dolphins may have found their franchise savior. As stated previously, Lamar Jackson has always been likely the most talented QB in the history of the sport and the only reason he is not on pace to be the greatest ever is his consistent failures come playoff time. Malik Willis can certainly be Lamar Jackson but clutch which would be the ultimate QB in league history. However, Willis has just been elite for 2-3 games worth of snaps with offensive coaching that arguably ranks up there with any in the sport along with playing against questionable defenses that are not consistently elite as well. Now that he is with the Dolphins and will work with a young defensive minded head coach instead of a proven borderline elite offensive minded head coach, now that he will be a starter on a regular basis, and he will play elite defenses with regularity with a questionable offensive roster as well, we will see how Willis does.
