Miami Dolphins
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On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins fell to 1-7 with a 19-9 loss against the Detroit Lions at Hard Rock Stadium.
The game marked Miami’s most impressive defensive performance of the season as it held Detroit’s high-powered offense to only one touchdown. Unfortunately, Miami’s offense did not match the level of the defense, which resulted in the loss.
Days after the game, the Miami Dolphins received some crushing news as one of the key members of the team is set to miss the remainder of the season with an injury.
Miami Dolphins Team Captain Out for Season After Suffering Injury in Lions Game
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ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted on X: “Dolphins standout DT Zach Sieler ruptured his biceps and will undergo season-ending surgery, with a 5-6 month recovery expected, per sources. The injury happened on first play Sunday and he played the whole game with it.”
Sieler will end his 2026 season with two sacks, seven tackles for loss, five quarterback hits and 24 total tackles in eight games played.
Sieler is currently Miami’s longest-tenured player, as he’s been here since the 2019 season when the Dolphins claimed him from the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad. With 37.5 career sacks, Sieler is currently 11th in Dolphins franchise history. He is one sack from equaling A.J. Duhe for the No. 10 spot. Only Jason Taylor and Cameron Wake have recorded more sacks for Miami since 2000 than Sieler.
Zach Sieler’s Impact
The news of Sieler’s injury comes at an interesting time as he had been subject to trade rumors heading into the NFL trade deadline. Sieler had indicated that his preference was to stay with the Miami Dolphins.
Regarding the news of Sieler’s injury, Dolphins on SI’s Alain Poupart wrote: “The injury obviously quashed any notion of Sieler being traded before the 4 p.m. ET deadline Tuesday, even though reports indicated earlier the Dolphins had no intention of moving on from him regardless.
Sieler has three more years left on the contract extension he signed in September 2025. He’s got a cap number of $20.8 million next year with no guaranteed salary remaining, which would seem to make him a potential candidate for a contract restructure. That’s down the line, though.
The immediate impact is the Dolphins will be left without their best defensive lineman.”
Meanwhile, Dolphins Wire’s Mike Masala wrote of Sieler’s impact: “The 31-year-old’s impact on this team can’t be overstated, as he’s been an invaluable resource for the group of young, inexperienced defenders looking to make a name for themselves in the NFL and their way in the world.
On the field, Sieler recorded 24 tackles, five quarterback hits and two sacks in eight games this season, but he did much more than that, often taking on multiple defenders to help open up opportunities for his teammates to get to the quarterback or stop a run in the backfield.”
Prior to this season-ending injury, Sieler had not missed more than two games since the 2019 season.