Dolphins Captain Zach Sieler Out for the Season After Rupturing His Biceps Against Detroit

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler has ruptured his biceps and will undergo season-ending surgery, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday. Sieler, a team captain, faces a recovery of five to six months before he returns to full strength, according to the reports that followed Schefter's news.

Hurt on the first play, and he finished the game

Sieler suffered the injury on Miami's first defensive play against the Detroit Lions in Week 9, per Schefter. He stayed in for the rest of the game and played 42 defensive snaps with the injury. Miami lost the game 19-9 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

Schefter wrote 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." Pro Football Rumors and NFL Trade Rumors reported the same details from Schefter's report on Tuesday.

What Miami loses in the middle

Sieler, 31, played eight games this season and recorded 24 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five quarterback hits and two sacks. Dolphins Wire noted that his work went beyond those numbers, because he often took on multiple blockers, which opened chances for teammates to reach the quarterback or stop a run in the backfield. Dolphins Wire also described him as an invaluable resource for the group of young, inexperienced defenders around him.

The trade question ends with the injury

Sieler signed a three-year, $64 million extension in 2025 that ties him to the Dolphins through the 2029 season, Dolphins Wire reported. His name had been mentioned as a possible trade candidate ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, set for 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. Pro Football Rumors reported that the injury will erase any chance of a deal.

From seventh round pick to Dolphins captain

NFL Trade Rumors noted that Sieler was a seventh-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. He made the Ravens roster as a rookie, was waived coming out of the preseason in his second year, spent a brief stint on the practice squad, and was then claimed off waivers by Miami. The Dolphins brought him back on an exclusive rights contract in 2020 and signed him to later extensions, including the 2025 deal reported by Dolphins Wire.

No statement from the Dolphins had appeared when the reports were published on Tuesday, and every report attributed the injury news to Schefter. The reports did not give a date for the surgery.