What to Make of the Sieler Trade Talk Report

The Miami Dolphins didn't make any trades at the deadline but it apparently wasn't for lack of offers

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler (92) celebrates in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It wasn't for a lack of offers apparently that the Miami Dolphins didn't make any deals at the NFL trade deadline Tuesday.

And a new name mentioned in trade talks surfaced late Wednesday afternoon, and it was a very interesting one indeed — Zach Sieler.

The Dolphins received calls about the veteran defensive tackle, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, who reported the Dolphins were not going to entertain the idea of moving for anything short of a high Day 2 pick.

The #Dolphins received calls on standout DT Zach Sieler ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, but I’m told they weren’t entertaining any deal unless it involved a high Day 2 pick, per sources. https://t.co/kD1YoZsCAJ pic.twitter.com/8G8FzApATO

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 5, 2025

Sieler joins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Bradley Chubb as other players the Dolphins reportedly the subject of trade talks, though again the Dolphins didn't make any moves after sending Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth-round pick.

It's entirely possible in the coming days we could hear about other Dolphins veterans who came up during trade discussions Tuesday, which is what happens when a team is 2-7 and days removed from moving on from their general manager and with the idea of rebuilding project hovering over the organization.

It's what we saw with the Jets, who did go ahead with some major moves when they sent Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys and Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts.

WHY SIELER STAYED PUT

Sieler never was on our radar as somebody who could get traded, even while he's in the midst of a so-far very disappointing season.

The reason is the Dolphins still need good players moving forward, and Sieler has been a very good player for the Dolphins from almost the time he arrived after being claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens.

Sieler also serves as a mention for a very young defensive line group that includes three rookie draft picks — first-round pick Kenneth Grant, fifth-round selection Jordan Phillips, and seventh-round choice Zeek Biggers.

And then there's this factor, and it's the extension the Dolphins gave Sieler during training camp just this summer.

That extension included a $25 million signing bonus, which would have remained on the Dolphins' salary cap for the next few years as dead money.

Beyond the financial aspect of it, it's really not often you see a player traded so soon after getting an extension (Jalen Ramsey notwithstanding).

THE DOLPHINS' TRADE BRAIN TRUST

Head coach Mike McDaniel explained before practice Wednesday that the decision-making group at the trade deadline included Brandon Shore (senior VP of football operations and administration), interim GM Champ Kelly and himself reporting to owner Stephen Ross.

McDaniel never was going to mention any names, but he also wasn't very specific in terms of how close the Dolphins ended up being to make additional moves Tuesday.

“I mean, it’s tough for me to – ‘close,’ as a deal gets done or it doesn’t, you’re either far off or you’re real close but somebody has to let down their guard or their positioning," McDaniel said. "All deals are not close to me until they’re done, so I have a weird way of looking at it. There wasn’t anything that moved the needle for us to change our roster beyond what we’ve done. I was excited for four o’clock because I got to get back to where my mind has been at and where I’m making sure everyone’s minds at and that is the Buffalo Bills.”