Football

Offseason Program Recap: Willis Leads the All-Newcomer Team

By Alain Poupart Sports Illustrated

Updated June 10, 2026 1:43 PM

Now that the Miami Dolphins have conducted their final spring pratice of 2026 open to the media, it's time to take a step back and assess what we were able to observe during that access.

The Dolphins' public sessions consisted of three OTAs and three minicamp practices, which basically are the same in terms of format on the field - the one difference is longer days at the facility with meetings.

With the preface that this isn't complete because of the six OTAs not open to the media, there were some clear standouts this spring and it's time to recognize them.

Here then are our choices for the top newcomer performances at each position:

THE ALL-NEWCOMER OFFSEASON TEAM

QUARTERBACK - MALIK WILLIS

It would be very troubling if the choice here had been anybody other than Willis because the other two options are Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski, who will be looking all summer to convince the Dolphins to keep three QBs on the 53-man roster. Regardless, Willis made enough impressive throws to feel good about him heading into training camp. The arm strength has been clear from the start, but he also made a lot of eye-opening throws with different arm angles.

RUNNING BACK - DONOVAN EDWARDS

The Dolphins didn't had a veteran option to do battle with De'Von Achane, Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II, but Edwards stood out among Anthony Hankerson and Carlos Washington Jr., with his highlight a long reception from Quinn Ewers on Tuesday.

WIDE RECEIVER - KEVIN COLEMAN JR.

Our first 2026 draft pick on this list, Coleman was a frequent target in team drills and showed sure enough and a nice burst. Honorable mention goes to veteran free agent acquisition Jalen Tolbert.

TIGHT END - BEN SIMS

Because blocking really wasn't a big part of the equation here with a focus on the passing game, particularly early on in OTAs, that made it more difficult for rookie third-round pick Will Kacmarek to stand out. Sims, for his part, showed good hands and had one of the biggest highlights of the spring with a 40-yard touchdown reception from Willis.

OFFENSIVE LINE - KADYN PROCTOR

Again understanding the nature of spring practices, we never should get carried away with offensive line work, but Proctor looked like he fit in very nicely between Aaron Brewer and Patrick Paul at left guard.

DEFENSIVE LINE - RENE KONGA

With the Dolphins returning five of the six interior defensive linemen from their 2025 rotation - Benito Jones being the one exception - the only newcomers at this position rookie free agents and first-year player Keith Cooper Jr. Konga gets the nod for flashing some pass-rushing potential on a couple of passing plays.

EDGE DEFENDER - JOSH UCHE

Unlike the IDL, there are a lot of veteran newcomers on the edge, but Uche was the most noticeable of the group with the pressure he applied around the corner. Honorable mention here would go to David Ojabo.

LINEBACKER - RONNIE HARRISON JR.

The former safety showed off his coverage ability on a pretty consistent basis with his ability to get his hand on the ball. He also had a fumble recovery in the last open OTA, courtesy of a punch-out by rookie second-round pick Jacob Rodriguez. While that alone would have given Rodriguez some consideration, Harrison was more noticeable on a daily basis.

CORNERBACK - CHRIS JOHNSON

This was a tough call between the rookie first-round pick and veteran newcomer Marco Wilson, both of whom did good work in coverage, but we'll give the nod to Johnson because of his ability to line up both inside and outside while making plays.

SAFETY - LOUIS MOORE

Moore undrafted this year despite tying for the lead in interceptions for the national champion Indiana Hoosiers last fall, and his playmaking ability was pretty obvious in the spring. His highlight was a pick-six in one of the early OTAs.

This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 1:30 PM.