Miami Dolphins to host Ty Simpson, may draft another QB
· Yahoo Sports
PHOENIX — Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan are very high on quarterback Malik Willis and have respect for presumed backup Quinn Ewers.
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But the team is not excluding the possibility of adding another quarterback in the draft.
"I think if it fell a certain way, I'm gonna do what I think is best for the Dolphins," Sullivan said at the NFL annual meetings. "I'm not saying the whole world would understand it, but sometimes you gotta do things to secure the long-term vision and health of an organization that maybe don't make sense to everybody else."
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and Miami quarterback Carson Beck are among the draft-eligible quarterbacks who will reportedly visit Miami Gardens in the coming weeks.
Simpson would be an option at No. 30, perhaps less likely at No. 11. Beck is a likely mid-round pick.
"Malik is our guy," Sullivan said. "Very happy with Quinn. I think Quinn will tell you he ain't going quietly. You know what I mean? I've had my own conversations with him. It's gonna be a healthy room. I think there'll be a very good mutual respect. They're both pros pros. There's gonna be a lot of really good competition in that room. I don't feel the pressure now (about quarterback) that I did a month ago, if that makes sense. Six weeks ago, whatever it was."
Miami Dolphins could draft another QB in April
Willis is the presumed starter. But Sullivan and Hafley have been pleased following conversations with Ewers.
"Do everything in your power, like any other player, to show us that you are the best player at your position," Hafley said. "And then our job is to play the best player to win games. And that's exactly what I would say to Quinn. I like Quinn. Quinn's one of the first guys that reached out to me when I got the job. I thought Quinn did a really good job at the end of the year."
At the league meetings, Hafley was very enthusiastic about the possibility of reuniting with Willis. They were both in Green Bay last season.
"I want Malik to be himself," Hafley said. "There's nothing I'm going to sit here and say that I want this, this, this, and this. I want Malik to come in and be himself. I don't want him to change on or off the field because he is He's an incredible human. I think he's got great leadership qualities that guys will rally around. I've seen it. These guys have seen it. And I've seen what he can do on the field. He needs to develop. He needs to continue to grow. But I'm not going to put any expectation on what I want to see from him."
Willis has improved as a passer since entering the NFL. But his athleticism is an intriguing element that Hafley, as a defensive play-caller, understands is tough to defend.
"It's pretty simple, right?" Hafley said. "Most games, it's timing and rhythm. And the ball's out, or it's a bad play. When you're in zone coverage, and the quarterback starts to roam, and wide receivers start to run around, there's holes everywhere open in zone. When you're in man coverage, and the play goes off schedule, and the quarterback starts running around, do you know how hard it is to cover for those extra four, five, six seconds? I mean, it's awful, especially if the guy can throw it on the run.
"It's just, it makes it two parts to the play that you have to defend. And then there's the threat of him running, right? So now your edge guys in your d-line have to play a certain way and make sure that they don't fly by the quarterback or you make sure you don't run a game and now a nose is wrapping to contain. So you gotta call the game differently the way you kinda run your games, the way you pressure, and then certain coverages you gotta play."
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Jeff Hafley reveals his message for Quinn Ewers