SoFla Guide Editors
The thumb looks like it’s cooperating. Malik Willis practiced fully on Wednesday despite an injury to his right throwing hand, the Palm Beach Post’s Joe Schad reported, which keeps the Dolphins quarterback on track to lead Miami into MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The Dolphins are 0-5 and still hunting for that elusive first win, and the Jets are next up.
From no throws to full go
Remember the bye week, when everyone was squinting at practice footage? Willis was not spotted throwing during an informal practice over the break, according to David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via RotoWire). The right thumb injury explains why.
Wednesday told a better story. The Dolphins held their first official Week 7 practice on Monday, Oct. 19, at the Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens, Dolphins Wire reported via Yahoo Sports. Willis was listed as a full participant on Wednesday’s injury report, according to Schad’s report via The Phins Insider. That came four days before the Jets game.
He wasn’t hiding from the cameras either. The Dolphins’ official press conference page confirms that Willis and head coach Jeff Hafley both held media availability on Wednesday ahead of the trip.
For a fan base that has spent five weeks refreshing the standings and wincing, a quarterback with a sore thumb taking every rep counts as genuinely good news.
Hafley’s first season and a hard look in the mirror
This is all new territory for the man in charge. Hafley was named the 12th head coach in Dolphins history on Jan. 19, 2026, according to the team’s official site, and this is his first season as an NFL head coach. Before coming to Miami, he served as defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers in 2024 and 2025, ESPN reported.
Hafley made it clear the bye week was not a vacation. Speaking about the break, he said, according to the Miami Dolphins Official Site via BVM Sports:
“I think it will be a good time for us to look hard and evaluate the players, evaluate the scheme, evaluate how we’re coaching, evaluate what certain guys can do, and take a hard look and then come back and go back to work.”
At least one change has already landed. The Dolphins replaced kicker Riley Patterson with Zane Gonzalez ahead of Week 7, the Miami Herald reported via Yahoo Sports. If Sunday comes down to a late field goal, a whole lot of South Florida will be watching Gonzalez’s first swing with their hands over their eyes.
The Jets and the Breece Hall question
On paper, the two sides don’t arrive in the same mood. According to Dolphins Wire on Yahoo Sports, Miami entered Week 7 at 0-5, the worst record in the AFC East, while the Jets came in at 2-4.
The big question on the other sideline is running back Breece Hall. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed that Hall will remain New York’s starting running back when he returns, but that Braelon Allen will also get touches, Yahoo Sports (The Big Lead) reported.
“Breece is our starter, he’s always been our starter, but Braelon is going to get touches too,” Glenn said, via The Big Lead.
Whether that return happens this weekend is still up in the air. Hall reportedly could return and play against the Dolphins despite missing three straight games, according to multiple outlets reporting Glenn’s comment that Hall has not been ruled out. As of Wednesday, no official game-status designation had been confirmed. Miami’s defense should probably prepare for both backs either way.
What’s next
Kickoff is Sunday, Oct. 25, at MetLife Stadium. Between now and then, the injury reports will be worth watching, especially for Willis’ thumb on the Miami side and Hall on the Jets side.
For the Dolphins, the formula is simple, even if executing it hasn’t been: keep the quarterback upright and healthy, get the new kicker settled, and finally put a “1” in the win column. After five losses and a week of hard evaluation, Sunday is the first real look at what Hafley’s team took away from the break.
Five weeks in, Dolphins fans would happily take a win of any shape. Ugly counts. Ugly counts a lot.
