The Green Bay Packers helped revive Malik Willis’ career. However, now that he signed a three-year, $67.5M deal with the Miami Dolphins, his reputation might end up taking another hit.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report predicted the biggest bust for all 32 NFL teams and chose Malik Willis for the Miami Dolphins. Moton noted that while Green Bay was an environment that Willis could thrive in, Miami is going to be the opposite, and he will not look as strong.
“Malik Willis isn’t set up to flourish on a rebuilding squad with arguably the league’s worst pass-catching group,” wrote Moton. “The Miami Dolphins are heading into training camp with Jalen Tolbert, Malik Washington and Tutu Atwell as their top three wideouts. None of the aforementioned receivers has caught more than 49 passes in a season.”
While the Packers’ skill players are not considered elite, it is a better group than Tolbert, Washington, and Atwell.
The Green Bay Packers Made the Most of Malik Willis
GettyMalik Willis #2 played for the Green Bay Packers
Beyond having more talented skill players in Green Bay, the Packers also had a better offensive line. Miami is moving rookie left tackle Kadyn Proctor inside to guard. They have a big question at right guard, and their right tackle has struggled to stay healthy.
Lastly, the Packers have a much better play caller. Matt LaFleur can have his faults as a head coach, but most would view him as one of the top play callers in the NFL. He was able to devise new game plans over the course of a week to fit the style of Willis compared to Jordan Love.
Not enough play callers will lean into the talent of the players on the team, and the Packers have one who does that. So, it might be harder for Willis due to the talent around him, but also the plays that are setting him up to struggle or succeed.
Packers Want to See Willis Succeed
Willis was a third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2022. However, he was 1-2 in his only three starts, and he completed 50% of his passes. Tennessee looked like they did not think Willis could pick up the things they wanted him to learn.
He threw just five passes in his second NFL season, and the Titans started to change their plans at quarterback before the 2024 season. So, Willis was traded to Green Bay for a seventh-round pick.
Considering the potential compensatory pick that the Packers will get back, the deal worked out well for Green Bay.
He is just 2-1 with the Packers, but his play has progressed significantly. He completed 78.7% of his passes in two seasons with the Packers. Willis had zero touchdowns and three interceptions for the Titans. Then had six touchdowns and zero interceptions with the Packers.
He also had 32 rushes for 144 yards on the Titans, but 42 rushes for 261 yards on the Packers. His yards per attempt shot up from 4.5 to 6.2, and his success rate jumped from 43.8% to 57.1%.
If it was all about the environment, the Dolphins might not like the returns. However, if Willis truly developed, he was becoming a playmaker for the Packers. Green Bay will want to see him succeed this year, because the amount of playing time he gets will determine the compensatory value they get back for him.
However, if he does struggle, the franchise looks great for being the only spot he can thrive in.
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