With DT Zach Sieler Set to Miss Time, Time to Step Up for Former Dolphins First-Round Pick

The Miami Dolphins’ defense is trying to build itself from the ground up. Head coach Jeff Hafley has talked a lot this offseason about wanting players to take steps forward, and what he needs from each player as they try to identify their core players for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, in the NFL injuries are the rule not the exception. Now defensive tackle Zach Sieler is going to miss some time with an injury that is undisclosed as of this point.

Sieler will miss the Dolphins’ preseason opener against the Washington Commanders on Friday night. The hope is that Sieler will be ready for the season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, but it’s not clear whether Sieler will be ready after Hafley called his status "week to week."

In the meantime, however, the popular phrase whenever a player is injured is next man up. Sieler’s shoes are not easy to fill. He’s been very productive during his career in Miami with 25.5 sacks coming in his last three seasons with the club.

With Sieler out of the lineup, there’s a big man who needs to make a big jump into a productive role.

Time for the Dolphins' Draft-and-Develop to Pay Off

The NFL draft is the lifeblood of almost every franchise in the NFL. Teams are often at their best when they draft guys, develop them under their rookie contracts, and sign them to extensions.

That’s the approach that GM Jon-Eric Sullivan has been used to during his time in Green Bay, and is hoping to have it carry over as he takes over as the head man in Miami. This offseason alone he’s handed out contract extensions to core players like Aaron Brewer, De’Von Achane and Jordyn Brooks.

Sullivan only has one draft class under his belt, but he and the coaching staff still have to work with what was given to them by their predecessors.

One of those picks was 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant. Grant was picked to be one of the anchors of Miami’s defensive line after a productive career at Michigan that saw him paired with fellow first-round pick Mason Graham.

Grant was part of a defensive line that spearheaded the Wolverines defense into a national championship-winning unit.

Grant was picked 13th overall over players like Emeka Egbuka, Tyler Warren, and Jaxson Dart.

Fair or not, that’s how any drafted player ends up being looked at. If a player does not turn into a consistent contributor, they’re going to be compared to players who are.

In fairness to Grant, he is now a second-year player, and defensive tackles typically take a year to develop as they try and get acclimated to the NFL game.

Grant’s first season saw him sack the quarterback twice with 29 pressures, which ranked 40th out of 134 defensive linemen. In addition he had 23 hurries and 20 run stops according to PFF.

That’s not a terrible rookie season by any measure, but the Dolphins are going to need more from a top-15 pick.

That was true regardless of whether Sieler was in the lineup or not. Now that he is set to miss some time, there is a big red circle around Grant. That’s true of both the Dolphins’ coaching staff and those who are set to face off against them.

To Grant’s credit, he’s done his part this season. He told Miami reporters in July that his goal for his playing weight will be 325 pounds, which is down from the 337 he played at a season ago.

The goal would be to become more explosive so he can make more plays in the passing game like Sieler did in 2023 and 2024.

Grant Is Not Alone

When a player like Sieler is set to miss time, the onus is going to be on everyone to step up. Zeek Biggers and Jordan Phillips will likely need to take on bigger roles as well.

With all due respect to those guys, however, they were not drafted in the first round.

Fictional character Ben Parker once said with great power comes great responsibility. The great power, in this case, is Grant’s draft status.

Now, comes the responsibility to live up to the billing while Sieler is out of the lineup, and maintain that momentum once he returns.

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