How Zach Sieler Earned Jeff Hafley's Seal of Approval

Entering 2026, there are some questions about whether defensive tackle Zach Sieler is long for the Miami Dolphins. The team is entering a full-on rebuild and the contract of its longest-tenured player includes no guaranteed money after this year.

In a media session on the Dolphins' first day of their offseason program, new head coach Jeff Hafley was asked about whether Sieler is a “tweener," a bridge player who doesn’t have a long-term future with the team.

Hafley pushed back against that notion.

“I don't see him as a tweener," Hafley said. "He's really good in the run game. He's extremely versatile.”

SIZING UP SIELER'S CONTRACT SITUATION

Sieler, whose contract includes $16.7 million guaranteed in 2026, watched the Dolphins move several of his high-profile veterans this offseason, with Tua Tagovailoa, Bradley Chubb, Tyreek Hill, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jaylen Waddle all gone in favor of future cap flexibility and draft selections.

Sieler, who signed a contract extension last summer, seems to hold some real value for this new Dolphins staff.

“When I watch the tape, and I watch what he does with all the games and all the pick games, and the way he understands protection and the way he dictates what they did running their games, and who to go after, and which way the slide was going to… I think that's so valuable," Hafley said. "And I don't think a lot of teams have guys like that that do that.”

Hafley’s praise of Sieler directly addresses his leadership and intelligence, which Miami will need, as the eight-year veteran leads a young room that added three selections in last year’s draft: Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers.

Miami seems to believe that pairing an aging, yet uniquely talented player in Sieler with their trio of sophomore interior linemen could lead to immediate production, as well as long-term benefits on the latter’s development.

The team is still poking around at long-term options, though. A Tuesday report from KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson states the Dolphins are set to have a visit with Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle prospect Christen Miller ahead of the 2026 NFL draft and they also reportedly will meet with Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.

Plenty can change over the course of a year, so who knows what will happen with Sieler next offseason, but on top of being “excited that (Sieler)’s here,” Hafley made it clear that he views him as being a key piece of this defense, at least for this year.