Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis has begun throwing sessions with at least one of his new wide receivers, two weeks before the franchise launches its 2026 offseason program under first-year head coach Jeff Hafley. The informal workouts — player-organized, outside any official team structure — signal that Willis is wasting no time embedding himself in South Florida after a deal that came together quickly.
Willis reportedly received word from his agent about the Miami agreement while he was already working out with receiver Jake McEvoy, a detail that captures just how seamlessly the transition began. For a Dolphins offense that spent much of the 2025 season searching for stability at quarterback, the early chemistry work carries real weight.
Miami Dolphins Offseason Program: What Jeff Hafley Inherits
Jeff Hafley’s first formal offseason program with the Miami Dolphins is roughly two weeks away, and the roster he inherits is already in motion. Hafley, hired to stabilize a franchise that cycled through multiple coordinators and offensive identities over recent seasons, now has a quarterback in Willis who appears eager to build rapport before the first organized team activity ever takes place. That eagerness matters in a scheme-installation window where snap-count familiarity and route-timing can separate functional from dysfunctional pass offenses.
Breaking down the advanced metrics from Willis’s time in Tennessee and Los Angeles, the numbers reveal a pattern: his completion percentage climbed when he operated from condensed pocket structures with pre-snap motion — exactly the kind of design Hafley favored at Boston College and in his defensive coordinator stints in the NFL. Whether Miami‘s offensive staff can manufacture those conditions consistently is a legitimate question, and one that the next several months of practice film will begin to answer. The Dolphins’ offensive scheme installation under a new head coach represents the most consequential variable of this entire offseason.
Bradley Chubb Departs: What the Bills Signing Means for Miami
Bradley Chubb’s departure from Miami is now fully official, with the pass rusher signing a three-year contract with the Buffalo Bills after the Dolphins released him. Chubb, who wore No. 2 during his three-plus seasons in Miami, has reverted to his previous No. 9 with Buffalo — a small but telling symbol of a clean break. For a Bills defense already built around pass-rush depth, Chubb adds another layer of disruption off the edge.
From Miami’s perspective, the salary cap implications of Chubb’s release deserve scrutiny. Pass rushers of his caliber carry substantial dead-money figures when cut before a contract fully voids, and the Dolphins’ front office brass will need to account for that space when mapping out remaining free agency moves and any draft strategy analysis heading into April. The AFC East rivalry angle adds a sharper edge: Chubb will now line up against his former team twice per regular season, a dynamic that rarely goes unnoticed in a division defined by margin-of-error football.
What Does Willis’s Early Work Tell Us About the Dolphins’ Receiver Room?
Willis throwing with McEvoy before the official program opens tells you something concrete about Miami’s receiver depth chart priorities. McEvoy was present during the moment Willis learned he was heading to Miami, which suggests a pre-existing relationship that the coaching staff will likely leverage in early install periods. Target share projections for Miami’s pass catchers will shift depending on how quickly Willis establishes trust with specific route runners, and McEvoy’s early access gives him a measurable head start in that competition.
The Dolphins’ receiver room enters 2026 with questions about pecking order that these spring workouts will begin to resolve. Tracking this trend over three seasons of Willis’s career, his most efficient stretches came when he had a defined No. 1 option who could win at the top of routes — reducing his reliance on scramble-and-improvise plays that inflate negative EPA events. Miami’s front office will need to decide whether the current room provides that anchor or whether additional moves in free agency or the NFL Draft are warranted.
Key Developments in the Miami Dolphins’ 2026 Offseason
Willis was already working out with McEvoy when his agent contacted him about the Miami deal, establishing an early connection before any official team activity.
The Dolphins’ 2026 offseason program under Hafley begins in approximately two weeks from March 24, making these informal sessions part of a narrow pre-installation window.
Chubb’s three-year contract with Buffalo was executed after Miami released him, meaning the Dolphins received no compensatory draft value from the transaction.
Chubb wore No. 2 throughout his Miami tenure spanning more than three seasons before reclaiming No. 9 upon joining the Bills.
Veteran reporter Alain Poupart, who has covered the Miami Dolphins continuously since 1989 across outlets including the Associated Press and Dolphin Digest, contributed reporting on these developments.
What Comes Next for the Dolphins Before Training Camp
Miami Dolphins roster construction entering the summer will hinge on several converging timelines. The formal offseason program gives Hafley his first extended look at Willis under structured conditions, with organized team activities and mandatory minicamp serving as the primary evaluation windows before training camp opens. Based on available data, teams that establish quarterback-receiver chemistry during OTAs show measurably better red zone efficiency in September — a metric the Dolphins ranked poorly in during recent campaigns.
The Chubb-to-Buffalo move reshapes Miami’s defensive scheme priorities as well. Losing a proven edge presence means the front office must address pass-rush depth either through the remaining free agency pool or by targeting the position in the NFL Draft. The draft strategy analysis for Miami’s first round will draw considerable attention given Hafley’s defensive background and his preference for versatile edge defenders who can drop into zone coverage — a personnel profile that commands premium draft capital. One counterargument worth considering: Miami’s defensive line already carries several young players on cost-controlled contracts, which could allow the front office to allocate early picks toward offensive weapons for Willis instead.
Who is Malik Willis and why did the Miami Dolphins sign him?
Malik Willis is a quarterback who previously played for the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams before joining Miami. The Dolphins signed Willis to compete for the starting role under new head coach Jeff Hafley, whose first official offseason program begins in approximately two weeks. Willis’s mobility and arm talent fit the kind of pre-snap motion offense Hafley favored at previous stops.
Why did the Miami Dolphins release Bradley Chubb?
The Dolphins released Chubb as part of an offseason roster restructuring, after which he signed a three-year deal with the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills. Chubb had spent more than three seasons in Miami wearing No. 2. His departure frees cap space but removes a veteran pass-rush presence from Miami’s defensive front, creating a depth chart gap the team must address before the regular season.
Who is Jake McEvoy and what role does he play for Miami?
Jake McEvoy is a wide receiver who was working out with Malik Willis even before Willis officially signed with the Miami Dolphins — McEvoy was present when Willis received the call from his agent confirming the deal. That pre-existing rapport gives McEvoy an early advantage in the competition for target share within Hafley’s new offensive system, though the full receiver depth chart will take shape during organized team activities.
When does the Miami Dolphins 2026 offseason program start?
The Dolphins’ official 2026 offseason program under head coach Jeff Hafley begins roughly two weeks from March 24, 2026. NFL offseason programs typically run through late May and include strength and conditioning work, walkthrough practices, organized team activities, and a mandatory minicamp — all governed by the CBA’s rules on contact and practice structure before training camp opens in late July.
How does Bradley Chubb’s move to the Bills affect the AFC East?
Chubb joining the Buffalo Bills on a three-year contract means Miami will face him twice per season in AFC East divisional play. Buffalo’s defense already ranked among the conference’s most disruptive units, and adding Chubb off the edge increases their blitz rate options and stunts package versatility. For Miami’s offensive line, pass protection schemes against Buffalo will require adjustment given Chubb’s familiarity with the Dolphins’ tendencies from his three-plus seasons in the division.
Marcus Cole is a former college quarterback who has spent over 12 years covering the NFL as a sportswriter. After playing four seasons at the collegiate level, he transitioned to journalism and quickly earned a reputation for breaking down complex play designs in plain English. His work has been featured in regional sports publications across the South, and he has covered six Super Bowls from the press box. Marcus specializes in offensive scheme analysis, quarterback evaluations, and draft coverage.
