MIAMI GARDENS — It says something that of all the days in the 2019 season for the Miami Dolphins, Dec. 4 was the high-water mark. No, they didn’t win a game that day — that hardly won any games that year — but they did start the wheels turning for one of the best transactions in their history.
That Thursday was the day the Dolphins, 3-9 at the time, plucked defensive tackle Zach Sieler off the waiver wire without so much as a thank-you to the Baltimore Ravens. What followed, you already know, right down to the part about Sieler being a no-brainer choice for team MVP in 2024.
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It’s the part that comes next that intrigues today. Because on a team this loaded with 24 rookies and 32 players who are 23 or younger, Sieler’s presence may be more valuable to the Dolphins in 2026 than ever before.
“Everyone who’s seen Zach work has a tremendous amount of respect for him, how he carries himself,” offensive tackle Austin Jackson said. “So it’s great for the young guys to see that as well. He’s like the oldest guy in the D-line room now. So they’ve got to learn everything from him.”
Sieler is one of only four 30-somethings left on the roster, although two of the others are specialists. When he looks around the locker room, he cannot find a single face that was there when he arrived with little fanfare on Dec. 5, 2019. But whether the new guys surrounding him are high draft picks or free agents like he once was just hoping to get noticed, they quickly figure out Sieler’s is a voice they need to listen to.
“What I love is being obviously a little later in my career,” Sieler began with a grin to acknowledge he’s 30, “the energy the young guys bring where they might not know everything, but they’re going to give their all every play. And I tell them, ‘Look, if you don’t know, just be physical and fly around and we’ll correct it after the fact.’ ”
Zach Sieler once lived in an RV, now has $64 million contract
That’s not just the veteran shouting from the mountaintops. Sieler has never been about that. Remember, he’s the guy who arrived while living in an RV and is that same guy today, albeit in a house with a family and a $64 million contract.
So when it comes to advice, Sieler isn’t afraid of giving it, but he also embraces being on the receiving end.
“I tell the rookies, ‘Hey, if you see me doing something, tell me,’ ” Sieler said. “It’s all equal opportunity.”
It shouldn’t have taken South Florida long to figure out the Dolphins may have hit on something when they claimed Sieler for the price of $0. He’d been here a couple of weeks when he saw extended action against the Bengals. He sacked Andy Dalton early in that game — his first NFL sack — and finished with seven tackles and two passes defensed.
It has been a steady climb since, including the only double-digit sack seasons by a defensive tackle in club history, in 2023 and ’24. His total fell to 5.5 last season, so it’s no surprise he lists a fast start high on his priority list for 2026.
Sieler had just come off the practice field July 29 following the opening of the Dolphins’ first training camp under new coach Jeff Hafley. Several times in his huddle with reporters, Sieler kept coming back to the energy he felt on the field, including after practice when players stuck around for additional conditioning.
“What’s awesome about that is it’s obviously not required, it’s not mandatory,” Sieler said of the sprints. “But each group, each player, has a leader that just wants to be sure that their position group is the best for the team, for themselves.”
He paused to clarify himself, saying this isn’t “the ‘me’ stuff,” the inference being that maybe in the past, the “me” stuff occupied too much space in some players’ minds.
“It’s just to be a better player for the team,” Sieler said. “And it’s all for the team. So I’m very excited for that.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Zach Sieler, 2024 Miami Dolphins MVP, more valuable than ever | Habib
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
