Liberty Professional Athletes

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.

Liberty Alumni NFL Roundup | Week 5 (Oct. 4–10, 2026)

The Microscope is on Malik Willis

Liberty's most prominent NFL name has never faced scrutiny like this.

Malik Willis — the former Flames quarterback who parlayed a backup role in Green Bay into a three-year, $67 million contract with Miami — is 0-4 as the Dolphins' starter and heading into a Week 5 home matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals with his mechanics now on public record.

Bengals safety Jordan Battle dropped a scouting bombshell this week, revealing that Willis has a pre-snap "ball tap" tell that tips off whether he's about to throw a pass. The observation, which quickly ricocheted across NFL media, prompted Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley to fire back publicly — though the damage of the disclosure is already done. Cincinnati enters Sunday knowing what to look for.

It's a brutal moment for a quarterback trying to prove his doubters wrong. Willis threw for just 85 yards and added 11 on the ground in Sunday's 15-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings — a game in which Miami managed 77 total passing yards and scored a single touchdown. It was the Dolphins' fourth consecutive defeat to open the season, their worst start since 2019. Critics have not been quiet: multiple reports this week described Willis as someone who is "holding the team back" and who "continues to come up short."

The talent-around-him argument has merit. Miami's wide receiver room is thin, and the Tyreek Hill era is a fading memory — Hill has since been linked to an AFC contender, per reports. The Sporting News floated a trade idea this week to finally get Willis a legitimate weapon. Still, the film doesn't fully absolve him. Heavy Sports, citing ESPN reporting, laid out the Willis dilemma plainly: Miami committed to him without a competition, bet big, and now owns the consequences.

To Willis's credit, his belief hasn't wavered. A feature this week from ESPN detailed how the Liberty product spent years grinding as a backup in Tennessee and Green Bay, betting on himself when few others would. "No way this guy's a backup," was the internal conviction that drove him. The Dolphins shared that conviction enough to sign him — and a Week 5 home game against Cincinnati is the first real test of whether both sides were right.

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Douglas Stays on the Fringe in New England

Across the league, Liberty WR DeMario Douglas suited up for New England in a statement 29-26 win over Buffalo on Sunday — the kind of game that tends to redefine a Patriots season. Douglas caught 2 passes for 15 yards, a quiet day in a loud victory. Boston.com's post-game coverage noted that Efton Chism's performance may push Douglas further down the wide receiver depth chart going forward. At 0-4, Miami could use Douglas's problems right now.

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Willis and the 0-4 Dolphins host Cincinnati Sunday. If Battle's scouting tip holds up under the lights, Liberty's most famous alumnus will have a very long week ahead of him.

Liberty's most prominent NFL alumnus is squarely in the national spotlight — and not for the right reasons.

Malik Willis, the former Flames quarterback now starting for the Miami Dolphins, heads into a Week 4 road trip to Minnesota carrying an 0-3 record, a bruised stat line, and fresh trash talk from the Vikings defense. It's the kind of scrutiny that defines careers, and Willis is getting all of it at once.

The Numbers Don't Help

In Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Willis finished 20-for-36 for 210 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. He added 56 rushing yards — a reminder of the athletic upside that made him a high-profile prospect coming out of Liberty — but the passing game remains a liability. Through three weeks, national media and fan mailbags alike are debating how much runway a 0-3 team gives its starting quarterback before hard questions become unavoidable.

Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley addressed the performance directly after the Kansas City loss, sending what was described as a strong message about Willis' play. Hafley isn't panicking publicly, but he isn't shielding his quarterback from accountability either. Questions about Miami's backup QB depth chart have surfaced in the same breath — a sign that the pressure is real, not just noise.

Compounding the offensive struggles: star running back De'Von Achane suffered a knee injury against Kansas City, potentially stripping Willis of one of the offense's few reliable playmakers heading into the toughest matchup of the young season.

Vikings Defense Adds Fuel

Minnesota enters Week 4 undefeated, and at least one defender wasn't content to let the film do the talking. A Vikings player took a public shot at Willis ahead of Sunday's matchup at U.S. Bank Stadium — the kind of bulletin-board moment that either galvanizes a struggling quarterback or confirms a narrative.

For Willis, it's an opportunity wrapped in a trap. A strong performance against an elite defense would immediately reframe the conversation. A third consecutive subpar outing would intensify calls for change in Miami's QB room.

The Liberty Connection

Willis remains the highest-profile Liberty alum in professional football, and his trajectory — undrafted arm talent turned starting NFL quarterback — was always going to be a bumpy story. The Dolphins made what was described as a "heavy investment" to bring him in as their starter this offseason, which means expectations were priced in. The first three weeks haven't met them.

Elsewhere in the Liberty NFL diaspora, wide receiver DeMario Douglas caught one pass for 38 yards in the Patriots' game against Jacksonville on Sunday — a modest but clean contribution for New England. Kei'Trel Clark (Cardinals), CJ Daniels (Rams), Storey Jackson (Falcons), and Durrell Johnson (Cowboys) round out a Liberty alumni group that spans the league, even if none carry the moment Willis does right now.

Week 4 won't define Willis' season. But it will tell everyone — coaches, fans, and the rest of the league — a great deal about who he is when the lights get brightest.

The Malik Willis Crucible

Liberty's most scrutinized alumnus right now isn't playing college ball — he's starting at quarterback for an 0-2 NFL team staring down the Kansas City Chiefs.

Malik Willis, in his ninth career start, has become the defining question of Miami's 2026 season after a brutal 35-13 loss to San Francisco on September 20. The numbers were modest — 197 passing yards, one touchdown, just six rushing yards — but the context was worse. Through two games, the Dolphins are the only team in the NFL that has not led at any point this season. Not once. That's the kind of historical footnote that lands on the quarterback's shoulders first.

The 49ers loss was particularly grim in the second half. Miami was outscored 21-0 in the third quarter alone, with Willis and the offense rendered irrelevant once San Francisco pulled its starters. Willis responded with a candid social media post after the game — an acknowledgment of the moment rather than a deflection — but candor doesn't move the standings.

The scrutiny has only intensified heading into Week 3. Willis has been publicly called out ahead of the Chiefs matchup, and questions about the contract he signed in free agency — one of the more closely watched QB deals of the offseason — are already surfacing after just two weeks. Heavy.com reported the deal's structure is "in question," though fair observers note it's far too early to render a verdict on a quarterback operating in a clearly dysfunctional offensive environment.

That last point matters. Multiple reports this week have framed Willis as a work in progress who is also being let down by those around him. The Dolphins' offense has given him little structural support, and his most reliable receiving target, Caleb Douglas, has been ruled out for the Week 3 game against Kansas City — opening the door for less-proven options to step up. Whether Bobby Slowik's scheme can manufacture more for Willis against the Chiefs remains one of the six defining questions hanging over Miami's season, per Yahoo Sports.

The matchup itself is unforgiving. Kansas City is Kansas City. But Willis going into Hard Rock Stadium with something to prove, against the league's gold standard, is the kind of moment that either reshapes a narrative or accelerates a crisis.

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A Block That Stole the Show in New England

While Willis absorbed the headlines, fellow Liberty alum DeMario Douglas had a quieter but memorable moment in New England's 20-3 win over Pittsburgh.

Douglas — all 5-foot-8, 185 pounds of him — delivered the key block that sprung running back TreVeyon Henderson for the Patriots' only offensive touchdown of the game. His receiving line was minimal (one catch, nine yards), but Boston.com spotlighted the block as one of the standout plays of the win. For a receiver who has carved out his NFL role through toughness and effort as much as targets, it was a fitting contribution.

Two Liberty alums, two very different weeks — one carrying a franchise on his back in Miami, one making the selfless play that defined a win in Foxborough.