MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Dolphins are hopeful quarterback Malik Willis' stint on injured reserve will not be an extended one, and coach Jeff Hafley said when and if he returns, he will be Miami's starter.
Willis went on injured reserve Tuesday after an MRI Monday revealed he had a core muscle injury. Willis had been dealing with a groin injury that significantly limited his mobility against Detroit in Week 9, and Hafley said doctors determined
it had progressed to the point of needing rest.
“You look back at Malik and you watch him in that last game and you could see it,” Hafley said Wednesday. “He couldn’t quite move the way he had done early in the year and he was gritting through it. He made some plays with his feet in that game to keep plays alive. But we want him to be healthy so he can play at a high level without risking further injury.”
It's not yet clear if Willis will play again this season. If and when that happens, Hafley shut down any notion of a quarterback controversy as backup Kyle McCord takes over.
“You guys will ask me,” Hafley said, “yes, he’ll be the starting quarterback if he returns."
The Dolphins signed Willis in March to a three-year, $67.5 million deal, intending to use his play this season to evaluate if he could be the rebuilding franchise's starter of the future. That question hasn't yet been answered through Willis' first eight games as a full-time starter.
He has completed 58.2% of his passes for 1,396 yards, with six touchdowns and six interceptions. He has shown the arm talent and mobility that led Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan to bring him over from Green Bay, despite showing some inconsistency with his decision-making.
“I think you get through these four weeks, so it would leave four or five games left, and we’ll see,” Hafley said. “And we’ll see if he comes back and can play and how he does in those games. And if not, then we’ll have to evaluate in other ways.”
The Dolphins chose McCord as backup after moving on from Quinn Ewers in August. The 24-year-old McCord spent the 2025 season on the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him in the sixth round. The Packers signed him on Jan. 20 then traded him to Miami in August.
“Excited, but obviously production on the field matters most,” McCord said at his locker on Wednesday, "so doing everything I can do get myself ready.”
He went 46 of 70 for 446 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions while getting sacked six times in three preseason games with Green Bay.
McCord played four college seasons at Ohio State and Syracuse. He passed for 4,779 yards at Syracuse in his final college season, breaking Deshaun Watson’s Atlantic Coast Conference season passing yards record.
“He’s got a strong arm, stronger than you think,” Hafley said. “He sees it well. The ball comes out fast. He’s decisive. He’s aggressive. I think you’ll see as you get to know him, he has this kind of quiet confidence about himself. And I think one thing that you just take, he has experience. Again, he does not have experience in this league and this league is very different, but he does have experience.”
With three of Miami's initial six captains injured, Hafley said linebacker Josh Uche was elevated to captain for the first time in his career.
Running back De'Von Achane has been on injured reserve since September with a knee injury. Veteran Zach Sieler went on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday with a ruptured biceps, and Willis' injury has sidelined him indefinitely.
Hafley said he met with Miami's remaining captains Wednesday morning, and they decided that Uche was the right fit. The edge rusher signed with the Dolphins in March and has been Miami's best free agent pickup with three sacks, 34 tackles and seven quarterback hits.
“It's still a dream just playing football," Uche said. "I've been dreaming about this since I was a kid. For guys to trust me as part of the leadership is a testament to perseverance."
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