Read the full transcript from DL Zach Sieler's media availability on May 27, 2026.
A lot of people that are looking at this as a rebuild. So you as one of those core captains, what does it mean for you to see these new guys come in some of these draft picks, a lot of them? And just what is your thoughts of what you're seeing so far?
Zach Sieler: Yeah, it's been really exciting. All these guys want to come down here and work. They're flying around out there. The energy has been great. Seeing the guys from last year, Trader over there just kind of keep growing up and learning ball and just wanting to just get better every single day has been incredible. So it's been a good OTAs and I'm excited for what happens.
When did you know you can play at this level? We know your background, but you tell me, was a season? Was it a moment?
Zach Sieler: It was probably the end of my second year when I got down here. That Cincy game, I made a couple plays. OK, maybe I got something here, kind of got some confidence. And that's a lot of things I tell the guys is like, you've got to find what helps slow the game down for you and what helps give you that confidence. And then once you do that, just keep working on that and hone in your little techniques and here and there and just keep building.
So it was that game, huh?
Zach Sieler: Yeah.
Is it different having the head coach come from your side of the ball?
Zach Sieler: Different perspective, yeah, absolutely. But I think Coach Hafley has done a great job with talking scheme with both sides of the ball. Hey, offense this is how we want to get attacked, and defense, this is how we're going to get attacked and knowing, hey, when you're doing this, you're weak here. When you're doing that, you're weak there, because football is a game of give and take, so to be strong somewhere, you've got to give somewhere else. So just learning that and talking through that with stuff with him as a team and individually, he's been awesome to kind of see his perspective.
I got a question about how you see yourself fitting into this rebuild. We know what you've done on the field. I saw you out there talking to Alex Huntley and Zeek Biggers during practice, counseling them. On the other hand, next year you'll be 31. You'll have a big salary cap number. Have you thought, do I fit in here long term? Do you allow yourself to think that? Tell me about that mentality.
Zach Sieler: I don't think about that. I told Zeek and them from Day 1, you can ask them. I told them, y'all are here to take my job and that's my job not to let you. And there's no hard feelings, the only thing that happens there if my home's not here, it's not here, but I really still feel like it's here. I love it here. My home is here. My wife and I love it down here. We want to make a name and I want to retire a Dolphin, so I'll do whatever it takes to stay here. It's been exciting. The fan base here is incredible. There's so much more to Miami than what you think of when you think of South Beach. There's the whole Everglades, the countryside, all that kind of stuff is incredible, so we love it here. I think these coaches have done a great job of – I told I told them this year, like, look, it's open market, man. Go play, go make a play. There's no ties to anybody. Go out there and win a job. I think when you breed that competition, you start with that from Day 1, you can really do something special here obviously.
Obviously it's just May. But at the moment, the team is listed as an underdog in 16 of the 17 games on the schedule. What is that like to know that those are the Las Vegas expectations?
Zach Sieler: It doesn't mean anything. I mean, that's just shooting a number out there. Sure, you could say, hey, they got this guy, they got this, they lost this guy, their salary cap is this – it doesn't matter. Like you go out there and play ball, you can win with anybody. I've been part of – shoot, that Flo year, we weren't supposed to beat anything; we won those last few games of the season, made a great stretch. That's the best part about football and why it's the greatest game on earth, I love playing this game, is any team can win with any players. It's a combination of a chess match and coaches and players. You can have the perfect call but make a bad play. You have a bad call, make a perfect play. That's what's so incredible about this sport and I think why so many people love it. Like you said, it's just May. I mean that's the whole point right now. It is May, so it's time to get out there and learn each other, learn the staff, and learn how we want to play off each other and go out there and play our best ball this fall.
I know you've worked on your leadership for years now, but now with this young team, there's an even greater need for more leaders. How much pressure do you and the other veterans feel to be that leader for this group?
Zach Sieler: I think, me, (Jordyn) Brooks, defensively and offensively, the guys, (Aaron) Brewer, (De'Von) Achane a lot of guys that have kind of stepped up over the years and kind of worked their spots, I mean, they've done a great job of stepping up. We're focusing on motivating these guys. I mean, look, let's go out there and play your best ball. Like cut it loose; go out there and be confident. Do what it takes and we'll spend the extra hours on technique, individual, anything you need because we want to win. We want to win now. We don't want to say, oh, hey, Vegas says this. We don't care about that out there and play our game.
With the edge, obviously defensive line, you guys don't get an opportunity to rush the passer if you don't set the edge. What kind of growth do you hope to see from other defensive linemen, particularly the guys in your room?
Zach Sieler: Yeah, obviously you see us now working with defensive ends and defensive tackles now all in one group. I think (Austin) Clark, you guys know this, how I feel about Clark from Day 1, I mean I attest a lot of my success and all that to him and what he's done. I think to see him work with these edge guys, Chop Robinson in particular because he's got a little more time with him this year and last year had that rapport with him, to see them grow and us play as one unit. I think that's the whole thing, seeing the game as one unit up front. Obviously it takes all 11, but the front four, front five, seven, whatever you want to call it, however we play each snap, each down, we got to be on the same page, and if one guy is off, they can make you pay. So to be in that same room is exciting to see the game tape together and kind of break it down together and know we're all being told the same thing and have the same questions is exciting.
Kind of piggybacking off that, one guy in particular, Jordan Phillips. What have you seen from him this spring? There's a smile on your face. I'm sure there's some good things to say about him.
Zach Sieler: Solid. I think one of the first things he got in trouble for was squatting too much. He's worked his tail off this offseason; to see his growth from last year to this year has been incredible. His confidence on the field, his knowledge and you can tell the game is starting to click for him more and more. You can see that at the end of last season and how well he played the run and all that stuff, so to keep working with him, 'KG' (Kenneth Grant), Zeek (Biggers), all those guys has been awesome. It's been exciting.
You've seen a lot of iterations of this Dolphins team. What feels different this offseason than the previous what is it now six or seven years you've been here?
Zach Sieler: I think seven or eight now. (laughter) No, seven probably. Honestly, it's the candid truth. It's not out of resentment. It's not out of anger. It's out of, hey, here's the truth. Here's who you are. Here's what you've done. Here's what you haven't done. Here's what you did last play. Here's what I want to see from you next play and we're getting better together. Don't take it personal. If you didn't do good enough last play, figure out why you didn't and correct it. There's no grudges, there's no hard feelings but go out there and make the best plays and become the best player you can be. The big focus is taking individual to team and how to best pose the drills to translate into team reps. We're focused on that a lot this offseason and keep growing.
And do you have an example of a personal story of that candid truth or a time where Jeff Hafley or a position coach was candidly honest with you?
Zach Sieler: I mean, I don't have one off the top of my head, but it's, hey look, as a whole d-line, look, we're not playing the run well enough, we got to figure out how to get this right and then take it to a drill. Like look, we're struggling with a double team. OK, play bump combo, play doubles in the sled. We'll work it, we'll work push drill and stuff like that. Then we'll take that to the team and just watch your hands and strike job one first. Push into the second block and stuff like that to really take those steps and focus from going from job 1 to job 2 and then ultimately get to the ball carrier.
A follow up real quick on that question I asked before, in high school or college you never thought you would be here?
Zach Sieler: College when I, at that time, had the second-most sacks in NCAA DII was 19.5, to (Matthew) Judon. Yeah, he had the record. But when I had that season, I was like, OK, the NFL could be a possibility. Then from there it was, OK, let's keep working. I had one more season at Ferris State. End of that season, got to the league, got drafted and then obviously now you start back from square one. That Cincy game coming down here, getting some confidence, going out there playing and getting that start for that game, with what three weeks left of the season that year, really kind of helped me I feel like catapult my career into what it became.
How did you mentally compartmentalize this offseason? You see a lot of the best players you came in with gone and I'm sure there's natural indication to think about what it means for us. How did you and your family handle that uncertainty period?
Zach Sieler: My wife had our second baby on April 10, we're a little busy. (laughter) But no, honestly, it's how I've always worked at my career and how my job is that's out of my control. My tape was already out there from last season. The offseason was on. Enjoy the offseason. What happens, happens and have the confidence and the trust in God that whatever does happen, I'm going to make the most of it. That's what I did when I came down here. When I got cut that second time out of Baltimore, I ended up down here. Heck yeah it was scary but man, let's try to figure out a way to be the best person you can be every single day out there on that field and hopefully the chips fall as they may.
Greg Dulcich had this quote a couple of months ago where he said, everybody has checked their ego at the door coming into the offseason program. Is that something that you've noticed or have you seen just kind of the removal of any ego from this locker room?
Zach Sieler: When you have a change of what we had from top to bottom, everybody, you're starting at square one, so yeah, you are checking your ego. Like look, they don't care what you did last year; it's what you can do this year. That's the whole point of NFL. It's what you do for me today. That's the way I live every single day, every practice, every play is last snap doesn't matter, it's the next snap that matters. Just to keep working on that and keep driving forward.
When you have that captain patch on your jersey, what does that mean to you?
Zach Sieler: When I've had it in the past, we don't have that yet, but it means a lot. It means the team, the guys, put pride in saying, look, we want him out there representing us as a team on and off the field to be a leader we rely on and a guy that we fall for every single day that we're going to follow and trust. That's always been meaningful to me, and I want to keep working for that and hopefully do it again this year.
