Ranking the Most Important Dolphins, No. 10: Potential Swan Song for Sieler

The Miami Dolphins will head into training camp at the end of July with a totally different roster than the one that ended the 2025 season after an offseason overhaul that saw the departure of several significant veterans and the arrival of newcomers young and old.

The Dolphins have 91 players on their roster with the exemption they have for England-born rookie tight end Seydou Traore, a participant of the International Player Pathway Program.

As life goes in the NFL, not every player on the roster is equal, so we decided to rank all of them in terms of their importance to the Dolphins' success in the 2026 season. The list was determined on the basis of not just ability but also expected role and significance to the overall progress of the organization as it continues the rebuilding project that began with the hiring of Jon-Eric Sullivan as GM and Jeff Hafley as head coach.

This is part of a series that will run in the lead-up to start of training camp.

NUMBER 10: DT ZACH SIELER

How he joined the Dolphins

The Dolphins claimed Sieler off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens in December 2019 and he's now the longest-tenured player on the roster after signing three contract extensions since then.

Contract status

Sieler is entering the final year of the three-year extension he signed in 2023, with his latest extension kicking in next year and lasting through the 2029 season. That latest extension was worth up to $64 million and included a $16 million signing bonus (per Spotrac), but contains a clear out for the Dolphins starting next offseason. None of Sieler's salary for 2027 currently is guaranteed, though $10 million will be if he's on the roster on the third day of the 2027 league year.

His 2025 season

Sieler started all 17 games for the Dolphins and finished with 47 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Sieler, who had reached double digits in sacks in both 2023 and 2024, got all of his sacks in the final eight games of the season. PFF gave Sieler a season grade of 60.6, which ranked 58th among 127 interior defenders (with significant snaps) around the NFL. This was Sieler's lowest PFF grade since his rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens when he appeared in only two games.

His projected role

This is a big season for Sieler, not only in his role as leader and key player on the Dolphins defensive line but also when it comes to his NFL future.Sieler indicated in the offseason that he'd love to finish his career in Miami, but the rebuilding Dolphins are going to have to balance the financial ramifications of keeping Sieler on the roster, particularly since Sieler will turn 31 in September, he's pricey and coming off what was a disappointing season for him. Without question, Sieler wasn't helped by the fact he was surrounded on the defensive line last season by three rookie defensive tackles (Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers) and no longer having the benefit of playing alongside Christian Wilkins or Calais Campbell. While he wasn't very noticeable in the early part of the season, Sieler did come on strong in the second half and looked more like the player we saw in 2023 and 2024. If the Dolphins defense is to experience any kind of success under new head coach Jeff Hafley in 2026, Sieler needs to be impactful from the start of the season. Sieler figures to be a team captain again and really the only question about his role is whether Hafley will rely on him more than Anthony Weaver did in 2025 when Sieler's defensive snap average went from 80 to 73 percent.

THE PREVIOUS PLAYERS ON THE COUNTDOWN

90. G James Ester
89. T Kevin Cline
88. QB Mark Gronowski
87. DT Keith Cooper Jr.
86. EDGE Seth Coleman
85. RB Anthony Hankerson
84. WR Donaven McCulley
83. FB D.J. Herman
82. C Jim Bonitas
81. LS Tucker Addington
80. DT Alex Huntley
79. T Marques Cox
78. EDGE Rodney McGraw
77. TE Cole Turner
76. DT Khalil Saunders
75. CB Miles Battle
74. S Major Burns
73. RB Carlos Washington Jr.
72. EDGE Robert Beal Jr.
71. WR A.J. Henning
70. RB Donovan Edwards
69. DB Omar Brown
68. EDGE Cameron Goode
67. WR Jalen Reagor
66. EDGE Max Llewellyn
65. WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
64. CB Ethan Robinson
63. G/T Josh Priebe
62. DT Rene Konga
61. WR Tahj Washington
60. QB Cam Miller
59. CB A.J. Green III
58. EDGE Mason Reiger
57. CB Alex Austin
56. P Bradley Pinion
55. LB Jackson Woodard
54. K Zane Gonzalez
53. S Louis Moore
52. DT Matthew Butler
51. CB Marco Wilson
50. CB Darrell Baker Jr.
49. LB Ronnie Harrison Jr.
48. T Charlie Heck
47. WR Chris Bell
46. CB Storm Duck
45. WR Theo Wease Jr.
44. TE Seydou Traore
43. G DJ Campbell
42. G/C Andrew Meyer
41. K Riley Patterson
40. S Michael Taaffe
39. CB Ethan Bonner
38. TE Ben Sims
37. EDGE David Ojabo
36. S Lonnie Johnson Jr.
35. Zayne Anderson
34. EDGE Josh Uche
33. WR Jalen Tolbert
32. EDGE/LB Trey Moore
31. LB Willie Gay Jr.
30. RB Jaylen Wright
29. WR Kevin Coleman Jr.
28. G Jonah Savaiinaea
27. DT Zeek Biggers
26. LB Kyle Louis
25. RB Ollie Gordon II
24. WR Tutu Atwell
23. G/T Jamaree Salyer
22. WR Malik Washington
21. DT Jordan Phillips
20. WR Caleb Douglas
19. LB Jacob Rodriguez
18. CB Jason Marshall Jr.
17. S Dante Trader Jr.
16. TE Will Kacmarek
15. QB Quinn Ewers
14. LB Tyrel Dodson
13. T Austin Jackson
12. CB JuJu Brents
11. TE Greg Dulcich

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