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

Today's best reads

• Ranking the Most Important Dolphins, No. 12: Brents' Big Potential Comes With Big If
• Ranking the Most Important Dolphins, No. 17: How Big a Jump Can Trader Make in Second Year?
• Ranking the Most Important Dolphins, No. 15: Can Ewers Excel If Needed?
• Ranking the Most Important Dolphins, No. 16: Kacmarek a Clear Building Block
• Comparing the Dolphins Rosters of 2026 and 2019

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This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 9:37 AM.