Zach Sieler continues to be overlooked and under appreciated around the league.
Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler has grown from a 2018 seventh-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens into an absolute monster on the Miami Dolphins’ defensive line. A former walk-on at Division II Ferris State, Sieler barely saw playing time in his first two seasons, playing a total of nine games and being claimed off waivers mid-season in 2019 by the Dolphins.
Starting in 2020, Sieler moved from a part-time, rotational player into someone the Dolphins needed to have on the field as much as possible. He played in 16 games in 2020, starting eight of them, playing 52 percent of the defensive snaps, and recording 48 tackles with 3.5 sacks. Every time Sieler was on the field, something good seemed to happen for the defense. His role and his legend continued to grow over the next few seasons, leading to 2023 and 2024, when he recorded 10 sacks in each season, along with an interception, including the 2023 pick returned for a touchdown, in both years.
Sieler was overshadowed during the 2019 through 2023 seasons as Christian Wilkins went from a Miami first-round pick to a star, ultimately signing a four-year, $110 million contract as a free agent with the Las Vegas Raiders. Sieler was seen as the player benefiting from Wilkins. Except, without Wilkins, Sieler continues to star.
This week, ESPN started a series of articles looking at the top ten players at each position on an NFL roster. They polled more than 70 front office executives, coaches, and scouts to create their rankings, then compiled the results to create a listing of the top players. And, Sieler received lukewarm recognition as he was lumped into the “honorable mention” group.
An unnamed NFL coordinator commented about Sieler, saying, “He’s probably getting more credit [for his 2024 performance] because Christian Wilkins wasn’t there. He’s worked himself into an All-Pro caliber player. Tough, smart, dependable, ultimate team guy.”
Just in comparison, the seventh-ranked defensive lineman was Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who recorded 43 tackles, one pass defensed, one forced fumble, and 6.5 sacks. It was a very good season and he was selected to his second-straight Pro Bowl after the year – though part of the recognition may have been carryover from his 2023 season when he recorded 13 sacks.
Sieler’s 2024 season included 55 tackles, two passes defensed, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 10 sacks.
If you want to take a two-year comparison, Madubuike tallied 99 tackles, one pass defensed, two forced fumbles, and 19.5 sacks in 34 games. Sieler recorded 118 tackles, six passes defensed, two interceptions with a touchdown, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 20 sacks.
Madubuike is absolutely a great defensive lineman. But the difference between seventh and honorable mention would actually seem to favor the honorable mention player.
Sieler continues to be overlooked and underrated around the league. Entering his eighth season, is this the year Sieler is finally recognized as the disruptive, dominating star defensive lineman he is? Will he make it to the Pro Bowl? Will he see his ranking rise on ESPN’s listing for 2026?