MIAMI GARDENS ― When Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis was entering the NFL Draft, some used Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as a comparison.
New Dolphins passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo called plays for Hurts and the Eagles last season. So does Patullo see similarities?
“I haven’t been with him, you know, enough,” Patullo said of Willis. “Jalen’s big thing is, you know, he’s won a lot of games and he finds ways to win. You know, I think that’s kind of what he’s proven and that’s what’s critical about his game. But you can see some of the similarities, I think, just kind of the way they move and they’re able to extend plays. And I think that’s why guys like Malik and Jalen and even Patrick Mahomes, can be. When you can extend plays, defense is in a bind.”
Patullo expanded on their mobility.
“Now they’ve got to play for that extra second longer,” Patullo said. “You know, the rush gets there, you know, it’s three seconds now, it turns to five, six, seven seconds. And there’s certain coverages that you can eliminate because the guys can run. So it is definitely a weapon for sure.”
Patullo joined the Eagles in 2021 as passing game coordinator under Nick Sirianni. It was Hurts’ second season and the quarterback would go on to three Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl win.
How can Patullo help Willis grow?
“I think really when you start off, it’s where you got to have some patience, right?” Patullo said. “You’ve got to find out what his game is and really where you want to take his game. And so I think the biggest thing, you know, if you watch Jalen’s game, he’s matured every year, right? People just said, ‘Oh, okay, he’s coming in. We’ve got to stop this.’ Well, then he changed the next year. So it’s just making those jumps. So it’s, you know, if you watch Malik even do now, he’s made jumps each year, you know, the more he’s played, he’s made jumps.”
Miami Dolphins hope Malik Willis can do Jalen Hurts things
Hurts and Willis are both physically strong. And they have strong arms and a desire to take deep shots.
Another way Willis and Hurts may be similar is that neither is especially vocal.
“I think really when you do that kind of stuff, right, it’s private conversations at times where you want to say like, ‘Hey, this is when we need you to step up,'” Patullo said. “But I do think the one trait that Jalen has, and I can see Malik, they understand the importance of things. So when it’s a big moment, or it’s important, or we gotta be on something, you can already sense that he knows, ‘Okay, this is when I need to step up.’ And that’s critical. That’s when you know you’ve got a real dude that can do that kind of stuff.”
Patullo likes the way Willis engages his teammates.
“I think that’s what Jalen’s been able to do throughout his career, you know, and just building it around him and making sure everybody trusts everybody,” Patullo said. “Everybody’s on the same page as the quarterback and, you know, Malik’s done a great job right now, just leading the offense, right, by example in the classroom, on the field, with his physical training center that he’s doing, and just taking that next step.”
Joe 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 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: Dolphins’ Malik Willis has been compared to Jalen Hurts. Valid?
