When the Cincinnati Bengals hit the road in Week 5 for their matchup against the Miami Dolphins, their defensive players will be on the lookout for a quirk in Malik Willis' passing mechanics. The Dolphins quarterback purportedly has a tell in his delivery that Cincinnati could use to time up its coverage.
Bengals safety Jordan Battle detailed Willis' habit and what it means for the defensive backfield.
"He has a slight little tap before every throw, so I feel like we could use that as a key to break on the ball," Battle said after the Bengals' Thursday practice. "He likes to tap the ball before he throws it, or he takes his hand off, and that gives the read to break."
Revealing the tell before the game comes with its risks. If Willis and the Dolphins were not already keen on this tendency, they certainly are now. They may have already discovered it through self-scouting, however. And if not, three days may not be long enough to permanently eliminate the habit from Willis' mechanics.
If the tell persists on Sunday and the Bengals' safeties come up with an interception, it may not be a coincidence.
The Bengals would gladly use any advantage they can find in pass defense, considering their struggles across the first four weeks of the season. They rank in the bottom half of the league in the following metrics.
| Category | Value | NFL Rank |
|---|---|---|
EPA per pass | -0.03 | 17th |
Interceptions | 1 | T-25th |
Time to throw (sec.) | 2.95 | 25th |
Pass yards per game | 233.8 | 26th |
Avg. yards of separation | 3.8 | 27th |
On paper, Willis presents a more manageable test for the Cincinnati defense than the quarterbacks they faced thus far: Trevor Lawrence, Aaron Rodgers, C.J. Stroud and Baker Mayfield. Willis' 712 passing yards are the fewest of any quarterback who has played four games. He also has the fourth-lowest passer rating among qualifiers.
Still, as a mobile signal-caller, Willis offers challenges to a unit that has not found much success in containing the pass.
"He's obviously dangerous with his feet," Battle said. "We know we gotta be alert for that. Third-and-longs, they will run quarterback draws. In the passing game, he will extend plays, so we gotta be good downfield, DBs plastering. So we gotta be alert for that. He will take chances. We just gotta be alert on guys, where they're lined up."
