He earned the starting job over Luis Zendejas in preseason, becoming the first rookie to kick for the club since Efren Herrera in 1974.
He was left unprotected in Plan B free agency after accepting a $25,000 advance on his salary and agreeing verbally with the Cowboys that he would not sign with any other team.
After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost Steve Christie in a similar situation, they targeted Willis as their replacement and convinced him to sign a two-year deal potentially worth more than $800,000 (including a $100,000 signing bonus),[1] leaving the Cowboys scrambling for a kicker.
In 1992, after struggling (8 of 14 field goals made) and missing 3 critical attempts during a 7 games span, he was replaced with Eddie Murray and released on November 10.
[2] On November 21, 1992, he signed with the New York Giants to replace an injured Matt Bahr (sprained right knee).
The next year, he suffered a career-ending stress fracture in his left leg during training camp and was waived injured on July 27, 1993.