The Miami Dolphins have been one of the worst teams in the NFL this year through five games, as they've yet to win a game and their opponents are outscoring them 132-70.
One of the biggest issues for Miami this season has been their passing game. They currently rank dead last in passing yards, averaging 156.3 per contest. Quarterback Malik Willis has started all five games, completing 56.2% of his passes for 849 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions.
While a lot of the blame has been thrown at Willis, former Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito believes it should go elsewhere.
“It's tough to really pass judgment on Malik Willis because it's up and down. I think the rest of the roster is really, really bad," Incognito recently told
NFL writer DJ Siddiqi. "They're paying $180 million to guys that are no longer there. Overall, they're just not a very good football team. There's a lot of holes in the roster. Maybe they make a change at quarterback. It doesn't matter. I think just looking at the roster, they don't have enough talent, and they're not playing well.
“Everyone knew it was going to be a rebuild going into the season. They grabbed Malik Willis kind of as a bridge quarterback, and it's tough. It's tough to evaluate players when you're playing on a roster where you have not that many great players. We'll see what they're able to put together. I think it's important that they have a great offseason, a great draft, great free agency class, and then really start building this thing out."
Miami moved on from several offensive weapons this offseason, including Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Darren Waller. They also lost Pro Bowl running back De'Von Achane to a torn ACL early in Week 3 this year.
These moves have left Willis with Malik Washington, Caleb Douglas (who has missed the last three games), Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. as their top wide receivers. Ollie Gordon II, a 2025 sixth-round pick, is now their starting running back.
That's not the best situation for any quarterback, especially one who doesn't have the traits of elite quarterbacks in the league. So, while Willis is getting a lot of flak, it's more reasonable to toss blame on his lack of help.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Former Dolphins Pro Bowler backs Malik Willis after rough start
