Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler (92) celebrates after sacking New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8, not pictured) during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Ranking Dolphins Top 25 Players: An All-Around Stalwart

Originally posted on Miami Dolphins on SI
By Dante Collinelli | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Miami Dolphins are entering a critical season in 2025. After missing the playoffs last season and not making any blockbuster moves this offseason, the team is under a lot of pressure to finally get over the hump in the playoffs.

With that in mind, it seems like an excellent time to rank the Dolphins’ top 25 players heading into the 2025 season. This list was voted on by site publisher Alain Poupart (@PoupartNFL), deputy editor Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) and contributor Jake Mendel (@JMendel94).

The rankings were compiled separately based on a points system. That system awarded 25 points to the first player in each writer’s top 25, 24 to the second player, 23 to the third player, and so on.

No. 2: Zach Sieler, Defensive Tackle

What else is there to say about Zach Sieler at this point?

He’s gone from a waiver wire pickup to one of the team’s best players, and one of the league’s better interior defensive linemen, even if he’s not consistently recognized as such. He’s posted 10 sacks in consecutive seasons and is a stalwart run defender.

An underrated part of Sieler’s game is how durable he’s been. Since becoming a consistent member of the Dolphins’ rotation in 2020, he’s played in at least 15 games.

The only reason he’s missed time in the past few seasons was because of a freak eye injury he suffered in practice last year, knocking him out for two games against the Cardinals and Bills. Sieler’s absence was one of many reasons the defense struggled in those games, too.

Sieler doesn’t have anything to prove this season, but it will be interesting to see how he deals with having less proven commodities next to him on the interior.

Calais Campbell is in Arizona, and the Dolphins used the 2025 NFL draft to revamp their defensive tackle room. Sieler’s most likely starting partner in Week 1 will be rookie first-round pick Kenneth Grant.

Grant and Sieler pair pretty well together, and it’s hard to think of a better player for Grant to learn from as he adjusts to the NFL level.

If Sieler can put together another dominant season, it’ll be hard to ignore his track record when accolades like the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams roll around. Sieler has never made either, but we think that could change in 2025.