The Miami Dolphins have lost their starting quarterback, Malik Willis, for the long-term due to injury.
The Dolphins are placing Willis on injured reserve (IR), the team announced, as the 27-year-old is dealing with a groin injury.
Willis will have to miss at least four games because of his injury. As a result, he won't be eligible to return until the Dolphins' Week 14 game against the Chicago Bears at the earliest.
Willis started each of the Dolphins' first eight games of the 2026 NFL season. He posted just a 1-7 record while completing 58.2% of his passes for 1,396 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 232 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
That said, Willis had started to make some strides over his three most recent
starts, completing 61.5% of his passes for 547 yards while logging five total touchdowns compared to just two interceptions. Now, his progress will be stalled as a different young quarterback will be given a chance to stake his claim to Miami's starting job.
Here's what to know about Willis' injury and how the Dolphins' quarterback depth chart shakes out behind him.
Malik Willis injury update
Willis was revealed to be dealing with groin tightness during the Dolphins' Week 9 game against the Detroit Lions.
Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley acknowledged that it impacted Willis' play, and particularly his ability to run at full speed.
"It was tight today and you could see it," Hafley said of Willis' groin during a postgame news conference on Sunday, Nov. 8. "You could see he really couldn't open up. There was a couple of plays where I give him credit. He pulled it, he ran and he got us yards and he got out of trouble against a good defensive line. But you could see he just wasn't quite able to go full speed. So, we'll see how he's at tomorrow and we'll go from there."
Hafley did not provide much of an update about Willis' status during another media availability on Monday, Nov. 9, saying he hadn't yet spoken to medical staff by the time he met with reporters.
Nonetheless, the Dolphins opted to place Willis on IR on Tuesday, Nov. 10, sidelining him for at least four games. As a result, Miami will turn to its backup quarterback ahead of its Week 10 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Who is the Dolphins' backup QB?
Kyle McCord is currently entrenched as Miami's backup quarterback. The 24-year-old joined the Dolphins on eve of the 2026 NFL season after being acquired via trade from the Green Bay Packers.
McCord was originally selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played collegiately at Ohio State and Syracuse, with his stint with the Orange helping to establish himself as a Day 3 prospect.
McCord has never played an NFL snap but he has played extensively across the 2025 and 2026 NFL preseasons. In that action, he completed 55.5% of his passes for 637 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions while playing for the Eagles and the Packers.
The Dolphins will be hoping McCord can justify the faith the team put in him when it traded away Quinn Ewers ahead of the 2026 NFL season and brought in McCord in a separate deal.
Dolphins QB depth chart
The Dolphins have three quarterbacks in their organization. Here's a look at the pecking order within their QB room.
- Malik Willis (injured)
- Kyle McCord
- Brady Cook (practice squad)
Cook is presently on the Dolphins' practice squad, but he could be signed to the 53-man roster with Willis out of action.
Cook spent his rookie season with the New York Jets after going undrafted and made four starts. He failed to win any of them while completing 57.5% of his passes for 739 yards, two touchdowns and seven interceptions.
It isn't clear whether the Dolphins will add a third quarterback to their organization with Willis sidelined for at least four weeks. If Miami does, it could target either Mark Gronowski or Cam Miller, who each spent part of the 2026 NFL offseason on the team's 90-man roster.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Malik Willis injury update as Dolphins QB lands on IR with groin issue
