There are now only a couple of weeks before the Miami Dolphins report to what many believe to be a critical training camp.
Cornerback has been the biggest question mark this offseason. It was made a larger question after the Jalen Ramsey trade, but the Dolphins have another issue that must be addressed, and until it is, training camp could look a little different.
Zach Sieler played at a Pro Bowl-level last year and is the only defensive lineman in the NFL to have two consecutive 10-sack seasons. The biggest question was how he would play without Christian Wilkins, but he proved he didn't need his best friend beside him to be successful.
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Sieler wants, and frankly deserves, a new contract. He has made that known by sitting out the voluntary offseason workouts, but Sieler also takes pride in his professionalism, so when the Dolphins held a mandatory camp, he showed up for work.
The Dolphins need to lock down Zach Sieler before the start of training camp
Sieler has made no public reference about what he will do when camp begins. He could show up and refuse to practice. He could sit and take the fines, or he could simply show up and play with the hopes of making it a third season in a row with 10 sacks, and increasing his value more in 2026.
The Dolphins would be smart to lock down Sieler and keep him happy. They threw money at Jalen Ramsey last year; it was a mistake. They gave Tyreek Hill more money last year, and he repaid that quite well (sarcasm, folks), but Sieler is all about the team and not himself.
The defensive tackle is under contract through the 2027 season, and that is a voidable year. He has base salaries of $7.3 million and $7.5 million in 2025 and 2026. A few tweaks to the deal could lower his cap numbers from the more than $10 million he is going to count in each of the next two years.
Sieler will be an interesting watch when camp arrives, and the Dolphins should at least explore options to give him another year on his deal or a multi-year extension.