Not many analysts are bullish on the Miami Dolphins entering the 2026 season.
BetMGM has set the team’s season win total at 4.5 games.
Others expect Miami to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. But Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler hasn’t paid attention to any of the preseason predictions and is focused on getting better during training camp.
“I’ll be honest, I haven’t,” Sieler said. “I don’t pay attention to that stuff. I never have. You guys all know I’m kind of an underdog story my whole life, my whole career.
“So I really don’t [pay attention to] the outside noise and all that stuff. There hasn’t been a single snap of football played yet this year. So to do that, it’s all based off last season’s whatever. We’ve all seen guys and teams make massive jumps in a matter of a year. I’m very excited for this team and where we’re going to go, and I think guys have the passion, the love and the ‘know-how’ to want to be the best every day.”
Sieler adjusts to Hafley's new scheme
Miami has overhauled its organization with a new general manager in Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley. The Dolphins also have a young roster and a new quarterback in Malik Willis, who has just six career NFL starts. They are hoping Willis can be the next quarterback to revive his career in a new location.
The word “rebuild” has been used to describe the Dolphins’ organizational changes after the team released several high-priced veterans. However, it is not a word Sullivan and Hafley have used to describe the situation.
Sieler, 30, certainly doesn’t want to go through a rebuild considering he is a veteran coming off a down season. His production dipped to 5.5 sacks in 2025 after back-to-back 10-sack seasons. Sieler also has no guaranteed money remaining after this season on the three-year, $64 million contract extension he signed in 2025.
Sieler is adjusting to a new multiple-defense scheme under Hafley, which could help him regain the form he showed during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
“Obviously, we’re early in the install. We did a lot of OTA stuff. I really enjoy the two-way communication between coaches and players and the why behind things. And, hey, I see this because of this, so we can all be thinking and talking the same language. So I’m very excited for that and to keep moving forward.”
