Jordan Battle Reveals Malik Willis Passing Tell Before Dolphins Game

Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle has disclosed a potential clue in Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis' throwing mechanics ahead of their Week 5 matchup in Miami on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. Battle believes the habit could help Cincinnati's defensive backs anticipate passes, but the public disclosure has prompted questions about whether the Bengals have given their opponent an opportunity to adjust.

Battle described the movement after Cincinnati's Thursday practice, explaining how a small change in Willis' ball handling might provide a signal before a throw.

"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. "He likes to tap the ball before he throws it, or he takes his hand off, and that gives the read to break."

The disclosure comes as Cincinnati seeks to improve a pass defense that struggled during the opening four weeks, according to statistics published by CBS Sports on Oct. 8. The Bengals ranked 17th in expected points added per pass at -0.03, tied for 25th with one interception, and 25th in average time to throw at 2.95 seconds.

Cincinnati also ranked 26th in passing yards allowed per game at 233.8 and 27th in average separation allowed at 3.8 yards. Willis had recorded 712 passing yards through four games, the lowest total among quarterbacks who had played four games, according to CBS Sports.

Despite those numbers, Battle acknowledged that Willis presents additional challenges because of his mobility and ability to extend plays.

"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."

Battle's comments have drawn additional attention because of his tackling struggles. Sports Illustrated reported on Oct. 11 that he had missed five tackles through four games after recording 21 missed tackles last season, the third-highest total in the league.

Battle attributed those mistakes to his tendency to approach ball carriers at full speed without adjusting his technique.

"I feel like sometimes I just tend to just go full speed, don't break down, just try to run through a guy," Battle said. "Later on that drive, I did a better job of coming to, gathering and then getting them on the ground."

The safety faced criticism after Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange converted a third-and-18 situation the previous week. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor defended Battle while acknowledging that the play needed a better outcome.

"I think there’s a lot of great examples of Jordan Battle tackling," Taylor said. "The (third-and-18) one coming out of the post is the one we got to get on the ground. There are a bunch of other examples where he does come out of the post and get people down with some tough tackles on the sidelines."

Defensive coordinator Al Golden also disputed the criticism, arguing that the play required support from other defenders.

"If I'm being completely honest, I don't think the criticism on that one – we've always got to make a tackle; we understand that – but he needs friends on that one," Golden said. "We've got to gang-tackle that."

Miami coach Jeff Hafley played down the significance of the disclosed throwing habit when speaking to reporters Friday. He noted that similar movements are common among quarterbacks, while welcoming the opportunity to learn what Cincinnati had observed.

"I studied quarterbacks for over 25 years, and that is not uncommon," Hafley said Friday. "A lot of quarterbacks pat the ball or take their hand off the ball. There's some I've studied that look up right before they throw the ball.

I don't think there's anything revolutionary about that. It's a timing and rhythm thing with a lot of guys, and there's a lot of them that do that, but any opponent that wants to share our tendencies with us, we'll take any time."

Willis entered the matchup following Miami's 15-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, in which he completed roughly 53% of his passes for 85 yards and lost a fumble. Through four games, he had completed 56.3% of his passes for 712 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while adding 119 rushing yards and one touchdown on 19 attempts, according to the Miami Herald.

Willis acknowledged that Miami's results had fallen short of expectations and said the team needed to continue improving rather than relying on its early-season adjustment period as an explanation.

"It's not good enough," Willis said. "We don't have any wins yet, obviously. We can't keep blaming stuff on us being young and still everybody being new, like that's not a factor once the season starts.

Yeah, that's cool to say in the offseason when we're building and growing, but I think we've done a great job continuing to grow each week. I think we look like a way better team than we did when we went out against the Raiders. I think that we went a little bit backwards last week during the Vikings game.

I think we have to continue to improve and stay on that path upwards."

The disclosure also prompted criticism from fans on social media, with several questioning why Battle would reveal a potential defensive advantage before the game.

"Why the f—k would you say this to the media," one user wrote on X.

"Why would you reveal this," another user wrote on X.

"He should go ahead and tell the media all the Bengals' defensive audibles too. Just make it easy," another user posted on X.

Battle is in his fourth season with Cincinnati after being selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Alabama. According to Fox News, he had one interception in the 2026 season and seven in his NFL career, along with 25 tackles and two passes defensed. Cincinnati entered the matchup after losing two consecutive games following a 2-0 start, while Miami was seeking its first win after opening the season 0-4.