Chris Perkins: Dolphins’ Zach Sieler is in a precarious position in the rebuild
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler has become the forgotten man of this rebuild. He’s practically an in-between guy in the sense that at 30 years old, he’s too old to be a foundational piece of the rebuild overseen by general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley.
But Sieler is still good enough and young enough to have genuine value to the 2026 Dolphins. After that, who knows? We’re reminded of Sieler’s one-foot-in, one-foot-out spot in the rebuild as Dolphins players reported for work on Tuesday, the first day of the offseason program.
Almost all of the 30-somethings from previous seasons — wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, defensive tackle Calais Campbell, left tackle Terron Armstead, tight end Darren Waller, guard Daniel Brunskill, the list goes on — are gone for one reason or another. The Dolphins want to get much younger. My hope is that Sieler, a class act, a team captain for the past three years, and the longest-tenured player on the roster, sticks around for a few more years.
After all, Sieler fits pretty well with Sullivan and Hafley saying they want to build the trenches. But Sieler, who produced just 5 1/2 sacks last season after back-to-back 10-sack seasons, might not fit in with a multi-year rebuild. Reality, in the form of age and favoritism, says Sieler, the 2024 team MVP, is a bit of an outsider.
Sieler, who will be 31 years old on Sept. 7, was a hero of the last regime, a diamond-in-the-rough that Miami discovered, polished and paid. However, the new regime didn’t select Sieler.