{"id":770720,"date":"2026-02-23T08:33:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T08:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/770720\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T08:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T08:33:29","slug":"cardinals-expected-to-pursure-qb-malik-willis-latest-on-dolphins-qb-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/770720\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardinals Expected To Pursure QB Malik Willis; Latest On Dolphins’ QB Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a year featuring a quarterback draft class that is perceived to be a weak one outside of presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza<\/a>, soon-to-be free agent Malik Willis<\/a> is becoming a hot commodity. We have already heard that the Browns, Dolphins, and Steelers could be involved<\/a> in Willis\u2019 market, and Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports<\/a> hears the Cardinals will be in on Willis as well.<\/p>\n

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In fact, Pauline\u2019s sources predict Willis ultimately will land in Arizona. The most recent reporting on the Cards\u2019 incumbent QB1, Kyler Murray<\/a>, indicated the club is undecided<\/a> as to how it will proceed with the former No. 1 overall pick, who is already guaranteed $36.8MM in compensation for the upcoming season. That said, it would come as no surprise if the Cardinals move on, with a trade the preferred option but a release looking like the more realistic outcome<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Assuming Murray is done in the desert, as Pauline believes, the Cardinals will need to add to their QB room. While Jacoby Brissett<\/a> played well in relief of Murray last season and could serve as a stopgap solution \u2013 he is under contract through 2026 \u2013 the 33-year-old journeyman does not profile as a long-term option.<\/p>\n

Willis, who will turn 27 in May, could fit that description. The former third-round pick of the Titans has spent the past two years as a backup to Jordan Love<\/a> in Green Bay, and though his playing time has been limited, he has flashed enough potential to generate notable interest. In his Packers tenure, which includes a 2-1 record as a starter, Willis has completed 70 of 89 passes (78.7%) for 972 yards and six touchdowns without throwing a pick. He has added 42 carries for 261 yards and three TDs.<\/p>\n

Like the Cardinals, the Dolphins would prefer to trade<\/a> their own former first-round signal-caller, Tua Tagovailoa<\/a>, but are likely to be forced to release him. Pauline confirms that Tagovailoa is not expected to be back with the \u2018Fins in 2026, and he says there is an \u201coverwhelming belief\u201d that Miami\u2019s new head coach, Jeff Hafley, wants to bring Willis to South Beach.<\/p>\n

Hafley spent the past two seasons as Green Bay\u2019s defensive coordinator, and the Dolphins\u2019 new GM, Jon-Eric Sullivan, was a Packers staffer for 22 years before Miami brought him aboard last month. Their connection to Willis is therefore understandable, though the club\u2019s unenviable salary cap situation could make it difficult for them to compete for his services.<\/p>\n

At present, the \u2018Fins have just $3.18MM of cap room, and even after more cost-shedding moves, they may not be in a position to win a bidding war. That could point them to a cheaper option<\/a> like Jimmy Garoppolo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In that scenario, Garoppolo would not necessarily be handed the QB1 mantle. After all, Bobby Slowik, who was recently promoted<\/a> from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator, is said to be a \u201cbig fan\u201d of 2025 seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ewers held his own over the final three games of the \u201825 campaign, his first taste of regular season action in the pros. Pauline\u2019s sources believe the Texas product deserves a chance at a longer audition, particularly since he was seen as a Day 2 prospect who surprisingly fell to the seventh round. If the Dolphins cannot land Willis, Pauline hears the team plans to give Ewers a chance to start while bringing in an inexpensive veteran like Garoppolo to function as the backup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a year featuring a quarterback draft class that is perceived to be a weak one outside of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":770721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2049],"tags":[390,217,7,345,7841,4827,4097,216,251,2087,6,1849,3452],"class_list":{"0":"post-770720","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami-dolphins","8":"tag-arizona-cardinals","9":"tag-dolphins","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-green-bay-packers","12":"tag-jimmy-garoppolo","13":"tag-kyler-murray","14":"tag-malik-willis","15":"tag-miami","16":"tag-miami-dolphins","17":"tag-miamidolphins","18":"tag-nfl","19":"tag-quinn-ewers","20":"tag-tua-tagovailoa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116119025813972508","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}