McDaniel Provides Updates on Dolphins' Potential Mandatory Minicamp Holdouts

To nobody’s surprise, the Miami Dolphins have some players not attending Mandatory Minicamp, which started on Tuesday. 

The Dolphins had three players who were not spotted at the open practices during Organized Team Activities last week and weren’t coming off injuries from last season: Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith, and Zach Sieler. James Daniels wasn't spotted either, but he's recovering from an Achilles tear.

Ramsey and Smith have been the subject of public trade speculation, and Sieler is likely seeking a new contract since he’s one of the most underpaid star players in the league. 

Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel spoke to the media before Tuesday’s practice and provided an update on the status of each player. 

Zach Sieler, Defensive Tackle

Of the current contract situations, Sieler’s seems to have the least amount of tension. That’s probably because he’s been around the building so much and will participate in Mandatory Minicamp in some capacity. 

“He’s been in the building every single day during the offseason program,” McDaniel said. “You will see him on the field doing some stuff. The length? Well, you’ll just have to hold your breath and see.” 

Sieler not doing everything this week makes sense, as he seeks a new deal. 

He has two years left on the three-year contract extension he signed in 2023 and has a base salary of $7.3 million this year. His annual average, per OverTheCap, is $10.25 million, slotting him 33rd among interior defensive linemen.

Calling Sieler grossly underpaid feels pretty fair. The interior defensive line market has exploded in recent years, and Sieler has posted back-to-back seasons with double-digit sacks. Still, it’s a good sign for everyone that he’s been around the team and showed up for camp this week. 

Jonnu Smith, Tight End

The Jonnu Smith saga has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride. The most recent report indicated that trade talks between the Steelers and Dolphins restarted last week after Steelers’ tight end Donald Parham Jr. suffered a season-ending injury. 

Smith’s position on wanting a new contract hasn’t changed, so it’s no surprise that he won’t be at camp this week. 

“That’s something that we’ve been in communication with,” McDaniel said. “I really don’t need to get into personal matters. I’m not really hiding anything. It’s just not about today, and I’m better suited to answer questions about that.” 

McDaniel also mentioned that the team has been in communication with Smith and said they’re “on the same page.” McDaniel didn’t specifically say Smith’s absence was excused, but being “on the same page” heavily implies the team won’t fine him or will find a way to make up for it with a new contract. 

Smith is the 32nd highest-paid tight end in the league and has no more guaranteed money on his contract. 

Jalen Ramsey, Cornerback

Reports flooded in over the weekend that Ramsey wouldn’t attend camp, as trade discussions continued around the star cornerback. However, the update is that McDaniel said Ramsey’s absence is excused, meaning he won’t be fined. 

It’s interesting that McDaniel was more specific with the language, given that he didn’t use it when talking about Smith’s absence.

McDaniel didn’t give an update on trade talks around Ramsey, but based on his tone, it’s clear that he’s tired of talking about it and only views the Ramsey situation as a distraction. 

“We are focused on building the Dolphins today,” McDaniel said. “Any distractions outside of that, I’m not focused on.” 

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