MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis uncorked a ball over the middle of the field during team drills at the team's mandatory minicamp, threading the needle between two defenders for a 40-yard touchdown pass.
It was Willis' longest completion of any open Dolphins practice and reminiscent of the explosive plays Dolphins fans grew accustomed to seeing over the past four years. Except this time, the ball didn't go to a speedy wide receiver -- or any wide receiver, at all.
It went instead to a tight end: Ben Sims.
"He's a stud. He can rip the ball. Sees the field great. Obviously, he's mobile, but he's got great pocket presence as well," tight end Greg Dulcich said of Willis. "That (touchdown pass to Sims) was exactly what I was talking about. Great vision. Ben had a great heads-up play, got his head around, Malik saw it, put it on him and yeah, it was sweet."
The Dolphins have seen Willis' arm strength and skill set on display during spring practices, but they're still waiting on his chemistry with his wide receivers to blossom.
Willis signed with Miami as a free agent this offseason, and other than some limited crossover with center Aaron Brewer when both players played for the Tennessee Titans, he's acclimating to a completely new group of teammates while he prepares to stake his claim as the Dolphins' next franchise quarterback.
Coaches and players both admit the relationships between Willis and his pass catchers is still growing. But first-year coach Jeff Hafley isn't concerned -- this time of the year is all about building chemistry.
"I think it's a work in progress. We've had six practices with limited reps, so I just think it's going to take time," Hafley said on June 2. "I think it's improved. It's going to be a work in progress and it's going to take a lot of reps, just like it would with any new quarterback and new wide receiver group, and then you add in we've got a lot of young wideouts that just came in."
The Dolphins released former All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill this February before trading Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos in March, leaving their receivers room both thin and lacking star power. They signed Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell in free agency, and drafted Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell to infuse youth and competition into the position group, but nobody emerged as the No. 1 receiver during OTAs or minicamp.
Hafley said he wasn't expecting a No. 1 to emerge this spring, as the unit is focused more on getting to know one another -- but he was complimentary of third-year receiver Malik Washington, who is one of the few carryovers from the previous regime.
"I think that's a group that I want to see who can continue to get better, learn the offense, run routes, what their skill set is," Hafley said. "Whether it's Malik (Washington) in the slot; I think he's done a really good job with the catch and run. I think he's getting better as a route runner. Then a guy like Tolbert, you can move him around and do a lot of different things with him. From those guys just in general, it's just going to be improvement and we'll tell in training camp.
"But I didn't really have any expectation when I came in ... we'll see as we get going and we start to play real football."
In Tolbert and Atwell, the Dolphins have a pair of veterans who bring a specialized skill set to the field.
Tolbert's breakout year came in 2024, when he caught 49 passes for 610 yards and seven touchdowns for the Dallas Cowboys. All seven of his receiving touchdowns came in the red zone, tied for the fifth-most among wide receivers that season.
Atwell proved he could produce in spot starts for the Los Angeles Rams over the past four years, and had value as a field-stretcher. Since 2022, 24.8% of Atwell's 105 receptions went for at least 20 yards -- the 19th-highest percentage among receivers in that span.
He's made plays at all three levels for the Dolphins this spring, and Hafley said the Miami native has "adjusted well" to his new team.
"It's a fresh start for real, everybody is new," Atwell said. "It's a different environment, different organization, and I'm just taking it day by day. Just learning how they run things here, do things here, but overall it's great coaches, great teammates. I'm just happy to be here and be home."
Miami enters the summer without a clear-cut hierarchy at wide receiver, but the situation is bred from a mindset its coaches have sought to instill this offseason -- competition at every position.
Willis is also doing his part to advance his relationships with his teammates, including hosting dinners and get-togethers away from the facility. Ultimately, he feels like this unheralded group of receivers has the right mentality to grow and produce this season.
"I think all of them have been doing a great job from top to bottom," Willis said. "Everybody has the right mindset to come in and work and just do the best that they can to show what they can do. I feel like it's an opportunity for all of us. It's a bunch of new faces, whether it's rookies or guys that have been here, but we're all in front of new guys for the first time, and we got to try to continue to show what we can do."