Dolphins not ruling out season-ending surgery for Malik Willis

MIAMI GARDENS ― Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley hopes starting quarterback Malik Willis (core muscle injury) will return after four weeks, but he is not ruling out potential season-ending surgery.Willis had an MRI but will continue to explore medical opinions."Yes, he'll be the starting quarterback if he returns," Hafley said on Wednesday, Nov. 11.At a minimum, Miami's medical team feels Willis needs rest."You watch him in that last game and you could see it," Hafley said. "He couldn't quite move the way he had done early in the year and he was gritting through it and he was toughing through it. He made some plays with his feet in that game to keep plays alive. But we want him to be healthy so he can play at a high level without risking further injury."What else can Hafley add?"I'm hopeful with rest he'll be able to come back and play," Hafley said. "I just, I don't have all the answers. That's not my expertise and he's going to get some other opinions, but he's in a good headspace. You know, so I don't, I can't answer, I can't really give you a clear answer on that."Kyle McCord will be the starter Sunday when the Dolphins play at the Indianapolis Colts. Miami's backup quarterback will be Brady Cook, who has been elevated from practice squad. The Dolphins may add a third quarterback, with practice squad a possibility.McCord, a former Syracuse standout, has had limited reps in Miami since he was acquired in a trade from the Packers in the preseason."So say he's gotten 10 to 15 reps over the last 10 weeks, it's 100 reps of our plays," Hafley said. "So he's done a good job in those periods, but it's gonna be a lot different. I mean him now being starter and getting the game plan and playing every down and playing with a live rush and going through a real football game."What is McCord's skill set?"He's got a strong arm, stronger than you think," Hafley said. "He sees it well. The ball comes out fast. He's decisive. He's aggressive. I think you'll see as you get to know him, he has this kind of quiet confidence about himself. And I think one thing that, you know, you just take, he has experience. You know, again, he does not have experience in this league, and this league is very different, but he does have experience."Kyle McCord was successful as starter at Ohio State, SyracuseMcCord was 11-1 as a starter at Ohio State in 2023. He was 10-3 as a starter at Syracuse in 2024."He has played in a lot of games, but from when I watched him, he's thrown a lot of passes, and he does have arm talent, and the ball comes out quickly," Hafley said. "And you know, it'll be interesting to see. And again, I want to walk into this thing, too. I'm not going to completely judge the guy on three days of practice and going out and playing in a live game. You know, with Malik being on IR for four weeks at the minimum because of the rules, you know, I want him to take this time and develop and grow and see where he can get to without, you know, one way or the other."In other news, the Dolphins promoted edge Josh Uche to a team captain.Dolphins midseason grades: Where Miami stands in its rebuildKey injury: Dolphins' Zach Sieler (biceps) out for seasonAnother key injury: Miami Dolphins QB Malik Willis to injured reserveJoe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Threads and Instagram and X at @schadjoeThis article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins not ruling out season-ending surgery for Malik Willis