MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler is a warrior. But he’s also a businessman.
All professional athletes are. So what happens when the competitor bumps up against the entrepreneur?
We reveal in our training camp Day 17 Miami Dolphins practice report.
Miami Dolphins Practice Report: Day 17
As a reminder, Sieler is a true NFL success story. He played college ball at Division II Ferris State, where he showed enough for the Ravens to take him with the 238th pick of the 2018 draft.
Sieler remained a relative unknown in Baltimore. He appeared in just five games with the Ravens before they cut him in late 2019. The Dolphins scooped him up — which turned out to be one of Chris Grier’s savviest low-key moves of the last few years.
Sieler has since blossomed into a disruptive, dependable force in the middle and did enough to earn an extension through the 2023 season. But at this point in his career, Sieler is significantly underpaid. He’s making just $2.5 million in base salary with nothing guaranteed.
But unlike his position-mate Christian Wilkins, who is holding in to express his displeasure with the team not (yet) giving him an extension, Sieler has been full-go every day he’s taken the field.
Another day at the office 👊 pic.twitter.com/CFk9ZvUrY8
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 23, 2023
Perhaps Sieler should be a bit more selfish.
Because after he apparently tweaked his knee early in practice, he insisted on gutting it out, even though he was clearly favoring his left leg.
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Sieler got hurt in 1-on-1s, and the immediate visuals were not good. Two members of the team’s medical staff checked Sieler out for some time as he laid flat on his back, his hands covering his face.
Eventually, he got up and tried to work out the discomfort. Instead of going inside for further evaluation, he rejoined his position group, chatting up Wilkins for a spell before putting his helmet back on and rejoining the on-field action.
He participated in 11-on-11s, even though he seemed to walk with a limp. At one point, he got pulled out, only to go back in again. He spent his remaining practice time either toughing out his assignment or getting his knee flexed by members of the athletic training staff.
Our unsolicited advice to Sieler: Take it easy.
You help no one — not yourself, not your team, and not your future self — by pushing through even a minor injury at this point in the calendar.
“We’re professionals,” Dolphins pass rusher Bradley Chubb said after practice. “We’ve been doing it for a while, and you just know your body. You know what I mean? If you feel like you could work through something, then OK, you try to go out there and then.
“But at the end of the day, man, like you said, the regular season is coming up. So everybody’s been pretty smart when it comes to things that they’re feeling and stuff like that. So it’s just about knowing yourself, knowing your body, and understanding that, like, OK, big time is coming up now.
“So, and for him to be back out there, you know, it’s not that serious, you know, it’s something he’s gonna take care of throughout the rest of this day and tomorrow. So like, he’s been a pro ever since he’s been here. It’s just finding a balance between that.”
Dolphins Practice News and Notes
Tua Tagovailoa threw to a depleted group of receivers Wednesday, with both Jaylen Waddle (midsection) and Tyreek Hill (undisclosed) missing practice.
With their top two weapons out, the Dolphins almost exclusively threw short and underneath — when their quarterbacks were able to get the ball off.
The Dolphins’ offensive line unofficially gave up nine sacks Wednesday, including three by Andrew Van Ginkel.
Dolphins linemen victimized Wednesday included Isaiah Wynn, Kion Smith, and Cedric Ogbuehi.
In other Dolphins news:
- Lester Cotton was back practicing Wednesday after missing the previous day with an undisclosed issue. But Terron Armstead and Robert Jones remain out on the O-line.
- While he remains in the concussion protocol, QB Mike White practiced Wednesday and is clearly trending in the right direction.
- Da’Shawn Hand has a chance to make the 53 as the Dolphins’ fifth defensive tackle, but he’s dealing with some sort of injury that limited his participation Wednesday.
- The list of other Dolphins who did not practice at all Wednesday included Jalen Ramsey, De’Von Achane, and Justin Bethel.