MIAMI — Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington said he is preparing for a significantly expanded role in the offense this season, describing a culture overhaul under new head coach Pat Hafley that has reshaped how the team practices, lifts and competes at every position group.
Washington, entering his third NFL season, told reporters after practice that the competition across the roster — fueled by a young team with numerous players on one-year deals — has sharpened the daily standard at the Dolphins’ facility. But he rejected the idea that contract status should drive effort.
“I think if you let outside circumstances change your level of competition and how you approach work each and every day, it’ll never be good enough,” Washington said. “I think everybody should have the mindset of I was going to compete anyway. I don’t care who was here, who stayed and who came in, I was going to give all I had each and every practice each and every day.”
The second-year receiver spent much of his availability detailing his growing chemistry with quarterback Malik Willis, a connection the two have dubbed “MW2” or “Malik squared.” Washington said the pair have been spending time together off the field, including watching games at Willis’ house, and that the quarterback’s improvisational ability demands a different approach from his pass catchers.
“He has the ability to make plays after the play is already gone and being ready, because he’ll launch it down the field,” Washington said of Willis. “He can move and put it on a rope. So it’s just being ready, following him, staying with him throughout the play and not giving up on that play.”
Washington also offered an assessment of both quarterbacks working with the top two units — Willis and Quinn Ewers — saying both have shown steady improvement through OTAs heading into minicamp. “Last week, I felt like we had a great connection going as a quarterback-receiver duo, and I think this week we’re just getting better at it,” he said.
Asked directly whether he wanted more than the short, behind-the-line-of-scrimmage targets that defined much of his usage previously, Washington drew laughter from reporters. “I do not want any more of those,” he said, before adding he wants to be “more active in all phases of the game” and contribute as a downfield threat.
“I think for box score watchers, that would be really nice for me to add some depth to target and stuff, and I think it’ll be really nice for my personal statistics and I think it’ll help the team as well,” Washington said. “Me getting down the field more, catching some more targets down the field, making some more plays down the field will just help us all together.”
The receiver credited his first two seasons behind established veterans as formative, saying the experience gave him a feel for route tempo and game preparation. Now, he said, the goal is to set the tone in the wide receiver room.
“I want to be a leader in that room. I want to be a leader on this team,” Washington said. “I want to make guys want to go harder. I want to make guys want to work and put in everything they got each and every day. That starts with the receiver room and just getting those guys to approach the day like they’re going to be the best. We all want to be WR1s, we all want to take the load, so approach it like that.”
Hafley’s influence was a recurring theme. Washington described a coaching staff that has demanded intensity in every setting — meetings, weight room, conditioning, practice — and said the results are visible in how players chase the ball and finish plays.
“I think it starts with we’re going to work hard, and each and every day, we’re going to put in the work,” Washington said. “We’re going to lift; we’re going to lift hard. We’re going to meet hard, and we’re going to practice hard. I think that’s been very apparent with since he’s come in.”
Washington said he has approached the coaching transition with an open mind rather than clinging to previous schemes. “Not thinking like, oh, well, we did it like this last year or having that feeling of any entitlement,” he said. “It’s a fresh start, it’s a brand-new opportunity.”
The Dolphins are scheduled to continue OTAs this week before mandatory minicamp, where Washington and the rest of the receiver group will get additional reps with both Willis and Ewers ahead of training camp.