The Miami Dolphins are moving on from Malik Willis for now. The team placed the quarterback on injured reserve after he suffered a core muscle injury. This move means Willis will miss at least four games. The injury stems from a lingering groin issue that limited him against the Detroit Lions. The loss of Willis changes the team’s outlook immediately. Kyle McCord steps in to start against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. This marks McCord’s first regular-season game in the NFL.
Coach Jeff Hafley says Willis will start again when he returns. Yet, the team’s future at the position feels shaky. The front office might look for a new leader in the 2027 draft. Heavy.com notes that Bleacher Report predicts Miami could use a high pick on Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker. Analyst Brent Sobleski calls Mestemaker a “gunslinger” with a big arm. The report suggests Willis is “well on his way to becoming a one-and-done starting NFL quarterback.” That is a harsh take, but the numbers back up the concern. Willis has thrown six interceptions to go with six touchdowns in eight games.
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McCord’s First Start Brings Nerves and Hope
Kyle McCord is not a stranger to big games. He set an ACC record with 4,779 passing yards at Syracuse. He also started for Ohio State before that. Still, this is his first time leading the Dolphins. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik admits McCord will feel pressure. Slowik told Yahoo Sports, “I don’t think it’s ever something you can just say doesn’t exist.” He added that it would be foolish to ignore the nerves McCord might face. The coordinator expects McCord to handle the job well because of his college experience. Slowik noted, “Kyle’s played a lot of college football, which I do think matters. He’s played a lot of big college football games.”
The offense will not change much despite the switch. Slowik says the team does not need to reinvent the playbook. “Everybody that’s in this building is in this building because we think they can run our offense and they can run our offense really well,” Slowik said. The main difference is the running ability. Willis has “legit speed,” while McCord lacks that same burst. Slowik admitted, “no offense to Kyle, but Kyle doesn’t have 23 miles an hour on the GPS in his body.” This will force the Dolphins to adjust their run game. They might rely less on quarterback runs and more on traditional plays.
A Look at the Future at Quarterback
Willis still has a chance to prove himself. If he returns after four weeks, he has five games left to show his value. He has 232 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns this season. His mobility was a key part of the offense before the injury. Dolphins Talk reports that Willis averaged 37.0 rushing yards per game in the first seven weeks. That rank was second in the league for quarterbacks. His drop to just nine rushing yards against the Lions and Patriots hurt the team’s chances. Miami scored only 77 rushing yards as a team in that loss.
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The pressure is on McCord to keep the team competitive. He knows the stakes. McCord told reporters, “Obviously excited, but at the same time I know that the production on the field matters most, so I’m doing everything I can to get myself ready to go play.” He feels confident in the system despite missing training camp. He told reporters he feels like he has had “8 months” to learn the scheme. The Dolphins face the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. The game starts at 1 p.m. ET.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
