Liberty Professional Athletes

When the New England Patriots hosted the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, it wasn't just an AFC East rivalry game — it was a Liberty University reunion with serious stakes. Two Flames alumni, DeMario Douglas and Malik Willis, lined up on opposite sidelines, and by the final whistle, it was Douglas's side celebrating a 24-19 comeback victory.

Douglas Steals the Show

The Patriots' fourth-year wideout was one of the central figures in New England's second-half revival. Douglas hauled in 3 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown as Drake Maye orchestrated a 21-point run after trailing 13-3 at halftime. It was the kind of performance that has become a calling card for the undersized but reliable pass-catcher — after the ball gets in his hands, good things tend to happen. For a Patriots team searching for momentum, Douglas delivered exactly that.

Willis Leads, Then Fades

On the other sideline, Willis had his moments. The Liberty product put together a sharp first half, tossing a touchdown pass to give Miami a 13-3 lead at the break and finishing the game with 211 passing yards and two touchdown passes. But the second half told a different story. Willis also threw an interception as New England's defense stiffened and his offense went quiet when it mattered most. The loss dropped Miami to 1-6, deepening questions about whether Willis — signed as the Dolphins' starting quarterback this offseason — has the supporting cast, or the consistency, to turn the season around.

Willis didn't shy away from accountability after the game, telling Ollie Gordon II he was "dead-ass wrong" for a taunting penalty that cost the team momentum — a candid moment that underscored the tension of an already-difficult season. Willis has shown flashes of the dual-threat ability that made him a prospect worth betting on, but those flashes have been intermittent, and Miami's rebuild remains very much a work in progress.

The Bigger Picture

The optics of a Liberty alumni face-off don't often materialize in the NFL, let alone with this kind of narrative weight. Douglas emerged as the unambiguous winner this time, contributing directly to a Patriots win that felt genuinely rejuvenating for a New England squad badly in need of one. Willis, meanwhile, heads into the bye week carrying the weight of a 1-6 record and a fanbase already floating trade speculation around MVP-caliber replacements.

Both players have carved out legitimate NFL roles — no small feat for alumni of a mid-major program. But Week 8 belonged to Douglas, and it wasn't particularly close.

Liberty Flames in the NFL | Week 7 Roundup

For five weeks, the questions surrounding Malik Willis grew louder with each Miami loss. On Sunday, the Liberty alum answered them — at least for now.

Willis delivered the best performance of his Dolphins tenure in a 28-25 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score on the ground. Miami's first victory of the 2026 season came on the back of Willis doing something the Dolphins hadn't done all year: hold a lead from the opening drive. He connected with wide receiver Caleb Douglas on a 7-yard touchdown strike to put Miami ahead first — a symbolic moment for a team that had spent five weeks chasing the scoreboard.

The 37 rushing yards added another dimension that had been missing from Miami's offense. Willis wasn't just managing the game; he was making it. By nearly any measure, it was one of the better quarterback performances Miami has seen in years, per Sports Illustrated.

That said, Willis himself wasn't letting the locker room get carried away. "We're 1-5," he said after the game. "It's not like we won the Super Bowl." The self-awareness was striking — and probably necessary for a team that still has significant ground to make up in the AFC playoff picture.

The win doesn't erase the concerns entirely. At 1-6 entering the bye, Miami's margin for error is razor-thin, and the fan base — while cautiously encouraged — expects Willis to prove Week 7 was a floor, not a ceiling. But for one week, the Liberty product gave Dolphins fans something they'd been starved of: a reason to believe the quarterback position is in capable hands.

DeMario Douglas: A Patriots Flex Option Emerges

Across the league, fellow Liberty alum DeMario Douglas found himself thrust into a larger role in New England. With AJ Brown ruled out, Douglas became one of the more viable flex options in fantasy circles — a reflection of his growing responsibilities in the Patriots' receiver room. It's a quiet but steady rise for the third-year wideout, who continues to carve out a legitimate role in New England's offense.

The Liberty Pipeline

Willis and Douglas represent the two most prominent active Liberty alumni on NFL rosters right now, and both are making cases for themselves in different ways — Willis as a starter fighting for his job, Douglas as a complementary piece building toward something more. The Flames don't produce first-round picks, but they keep producing players who stick.

For Willis, the next chapter starts after the bye. The Dolphins need more of Week 7 and less of Weeks 1-5. He knows it. Miami knows it. And after Sunday, at least there's evidence it's possible.

Liberty Alumni NFL Roundup | Week of Oct. 18–24, 2026

The Willis Watch Is Real

Five games in, and the Malik Willis experiment in Miami is already under the microscope.

The former Liberty Flames signal-caller signed a three-year, $67 million deal with the Dolphins this offseason after impressing in limited action with the Green Bay Packers — where he also built his rapport with current Miami head coach Jeff Hafley and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan. The front office bet big on familiarity. Through five weeks, that bet looks shaky.

Miami's passing offense ranks second-worst in the NFL, ahead of only the Tennessee Titans, and the team's coaching staff isn't papering over the issues. Hafley addressed Willis' struggles publicly this week without softening his language — a notable posture from a coach working with his handpicked quarterback. Fan confidence has slipped accordingly, with a recent survey showing Dolphins supporters souring on both Willis and the team's direction.

The trade deadline is adding a pressure valve. Miami has been speculated as a possible acquirer of a $20 million quarterback option — a sign that the front office hasn't fully closed the door on alternatives. Fantasy analysts are already labeling the Dolphins' offense a target, with the Jets flagged as a Week 7 sleeper defense specifically because they draw Willis and Miami.

A right thumb injury shadowed Willis through the bye week — he wasn't seen throwing during the team's time off — but he was listed as a full participant in practice ahead of the Jets matchup, clearing one concern heading into a pivotal stretch. Whether the offense can climb off the mat is another question entirely. The Dolphins' rookie class has drawn praise as a bright spot in what feels increasingly like a transitional season, but the pressure on Willis to justify his contract is only going to grow.

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Douglas Delivers Quietly in Foxborough

While Willis absorbs the headlines, DeMario Douglas is doing exactly what a slot receiver is supposed to do: make himself useful.

The Liberty alum turned in the best performance of the two-week stretch on Oct. 18, hauling in 7 receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown as the Patriots beat the Jets 26–19. It was the kind of game that doesn't light up a back page but tells you plenty about a player's role in an offense. Douglas followed that up with 3 catches for 23 yards in New England's win over Chicago, keeping his week productive even in a quieter outing.

His stock is trending upward in New England. With Romeo Doubs sidelined by injury, Douglas figures to see expanded opportunity alongside A.J. Brown — and the fantasy community has taken notice, with multiple outlets flagging him as a start-worthy option heading into Week 7.

Douglas won't make anyone forget the Liberty Flames for the reasons Willis does, but quiet consistency on a rebuilding Patriots squad is its own kind of statement.

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No other active Liberty alumni — Kei'Trel Clark (Cardinals), CJ Daniels (Rams), Storey Jackson (Falcons), or Durrell Johnson (Cowboys) — surfaced with notable activity during this period.

The Willis Watch

Liberty's most high-profile NFL alumnus is at the center of the league's loudest quarterback debate — and it's not a flattering conversation.

Malik Willis, signed by Miami this offseason to a three-year, $67 million deal despite only six career NFL starts entering the season, has stumbled through a brutal five-game stretch that has the Dolphins sitting at 0-5 and the football world questioning whether the experiment is already over. In Miami's Week 5 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals — a 31-24 defeat that dropped Miami to the league's only winless team — Willis completed just 55.6% of his passes for 137 yards, threw one touchdown and two interceptions, and fumbled at the 10-yard line. He added 74 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, but the damage was done.

Making matters worse, a Bengals safety revealed after the game that Willis telegraphed his throws — a "tell" that led directly to two of those interceptions. That kind of film-room exposure, five games into the season, is a brutal sign for a quarterback trying to establish himself as a legitimate starter.

The calls for a benching have grown loud. Former Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry went public with his frustration, stating flatly, "I think we've seen enough." Outside analysts have predicted the team could pivot to a "gunslinger" backup option, and mock drafts are already floating the idea of Miami using a high pick to add a strong-armed quarterback — a remarkable conversation to be having before Halloween of Year One of a three-year deal.

Head coach Jeff Hafley, however, has refused to blink. Despite his own blunt post-game assessment of Willis's performance against Cincinnati, Hafley has been unequivocal: Willis will not be benched heading out of the bye week. The Dolphins are staying the course, at least for now. Hafley addressed the benching question directly after the Bengals loss and again in the days that followed, each time making clear the team's stance.

Still, the organizational reality is sobering. Miami is the only team in the NFL that has not held a lead at any point through five games. Their passing offense ranks last in the league. Their wide receiver corps has struggled to create separation, and Willis has failed to develop any meaningful chemistry with the group. One Heavy Sports report suggested the Dolphins may ultimately part ways with Willis before his contract runs its course — a stunning turn for a player the franchise bet $67 million on just months ago.

The bye week gives Willis and Miami's coaching staff a chance to regroup. Whether it produces anything meaningful is the question Liberty fans — and the entire NFL — will be watching.

Douglas Delivers in New England

On a brighter note for the Liberty diaspora, wide receiver DeMario Douglas had a standout Week 6 for the New England Patriots, hauling in four catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-17 blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Douglas's performance came amid reports that his fantasy football value had been under pressure due to A.J. Brown's expected return from injured reserve — making his two-score day a well-timed statement.