Zach Sieler and Christian Wilkins spent more than four seasons together on the Miami Dolphins defensive line. But with the latter leaving to join the Las Vegas Raiders on a $110 million deal, it’s Seiler who is left to lead the way for the Dolphins’ front in 2024 and beyond.
“It’s one of those bittersweets,” Sieler said Tuesday when asked about Wilkins’ departure. “I loved playing with the guy, but I’ll tell you, it’s great seeing him get paid and go somewhere else and make an impact over there.”
To fill the sizable void left by the departure of Wilkins, the Dolphins signed several veteran free agents. But Teair Tart, Neville Gallimore, Benito Jones, Jonathan Harris, and Daviyon Nixon all joined Miami on one-year deals worth less than $2 million each.
Whether that was enough of an investment remains to be seen, but Sieler doesn’t sound too worried about it.
“This defense and this d-line isn’t built off of just [Wilkins], or him and I, or whoever inside,” Sieler said. “It takes a whole rotational front. It takes everybody up front. So it’s been really cool getting to know these, getting to play with these new guys coming in and learning their techniques and habits and how we can play off each other this year.”
While he’s right that the new rotation will be important, it’s also clear that it’s largely built around Sieler now, whether he says so or not. When the Dolphins racked up 56 sacks last season — the most in team history and third most in the NFL — only two Miami players reached double-digit sacks: Bradley Chubb (11) and Sieler (10).
But for Sieler to continue to be that productive, he might need to find another pepper to his salt. Are any of the new additions standing out as a new potential partner in crime?
“I think there’s a few, yes,” Sieler said with a laugh.
