Does former Eagles play-caller see the Jalen Hurts-Malik Willis comp?

MIAMI GARDENS ― When Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis was entering the NFL Draft, some used Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as a comparison.

New Dolphins passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo called plays for Hurts and the Eagles last season. So does Patullo see similarities?

"I haven't been with him, you know, enough," Patullo said of Willis. "Jalen's big thing is, you know, he's won a lot of games and he finds ways to win. You know, I think that's kind of what he's proven and that's what's critical about his game. But you can see some of the similarities, I think, just kind of the way they move and they're able to extend plays. And I think that's why guys like Malik and Jalen and even Patrick Mahomes, can be. When you can extend plays, defense is in a bind."

Patullo expanded on their mobility.

"Now they've got to play for that extra second longer," Patullo said. "You know, the rush gets there, you know, it's three seconds now, it turns to five, six, seven seconds. And there's certain coverages that you can eliminate because the guys can run. So it is definitely a weapon for sure."

Patullo joined the Eagles in 2021 as passing game coordinator under Nick Sirianni. It was Hurts' second season and the quarterback would go on to three Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl win.

How can Patullo help Willis grow?

"I think really when you start off, it's where you got to have some patience, right?" Patullo said. "You've got to find out what his game is and really where you want to take his game. And so I think the biggest thing, you know, if you watch Jalen's game, he's matured every year, right? People just said, 'Oh, okay, he's coming in. We've got to stop this.' Well, then he changed the next year. So it's just making those jumps. So it's, you know, if you watch Malik even do now, he's made jumps each year, you know, the more he's played, he's made jumps."