Dolphins Place Quarterback Malik Willis on Injured Reserve and Turn to Kyle McCord

The Miami Dolphins placed starting quarterback Malik Willis on injured reserve on Tuesday with a core muscle injury, Reuters reported. The move sidelines Willis for at least four games and hands the offense to a backup who has never played in an NFL regular season game.

Willis, 27, had been bothered by a groin injury, and a recent MRI revealed the core injury, according to a report by The Ringer carried in the Reuters report. Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reported that Willis has been battling the groin injury, that it affected his mobility, and that the MRI showed it had developed into a core muscle injury that requires rest. The injury is not expected to end his season, but injured reserve rules require him to miss at least four games before he can return.

A first season as a starter that kept going wrong

Willis is in his first season as Miami's starting quarterback. He has completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,396 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. Miami has won once in eight games and sits in last place in the AFC East. Willis has been sacked 24 times this season.

The problems showed again on Sunday in a 19-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. Willis completed 52 percent of his passes for 128 yards, threw one interception and was sacked three times. His running, a strength early in the season, has also fallen off. He averaged 37.2 rushing yards over Miami's first six games and has nine rushing yards combined over the past two games.

McCord gets his first start

Backup quarterback Kyle McCord is set to replace Willis. McCord has not appeared in an NFL regular season game. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in the sixth round in 2025 out of Syracuse. Pelissero reported that McCord is set to make his NFL debut against the Indianapolis Colts, and Adam Schefter of ESPN also reported that McCord will start for the Dolphins this week. Miami, at 1-7, plays at Indianapolis, at 2-7, on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Willis reached Miami after a long wait for a starting job. The Tennessee Titans drafted him in the third round in 2022. Tennessee traded him to the Green Bay Packers in August 2024, and he spent two seasons as the backup to Jordan Love. He signed a three-year contract with the Dolphins in March, reported at the time as worth 67.5 million dollars, and won the starting job for the 2026 season.

The Dolphins have not announced a return date for Willis beyond the four-game minimum that injured reserve requires. What is clear is that the next month of a season already going wrong now rests with a quarterback who has never taken a snap in a regular season game.