Dolphins in Depth: Will Dolphins negotiate in good faith with Zach Sieler?

Dolphins in Depth: Will Dolphins negotiate in good faith with Zach Sieler?

I bet you missed us. Welcome back. We are a couple of days before the start of training camp for the Miami Dolphins. Rookies have already reported on Thursday. I am Omar Kelly, Miami Herald columnist. This is Dolphins inepth. You’re about to be joined by Isaiah Smalls, the Dolphins beat reporter for the for the Miami Herald. And we are in our last days of freedom because our lives will be planned very meticulously till January, the first week of January, the regular season, and maybe beyond if the Dolphins make the playoffs. But, uh, Isaiah, before you end your last days of freedom, Yeah. Uh, are you ready for training camp? I am ready for training camp. Um, I’m going to Atlanta this weekend to do a one last harrah, you know. Um, yeah. One I ain’t do I a doing that. I ain’t No, no, no. This is This is your first This is your first Aussie. It’s like going to jail, man. You know, you do about to do a bid. What you going to do before you do your bid? I I guess I I I’ll save the you know the real turnup to you know the weekend that we are in Atlanta for the game because that is homecoming weekend. Um as well as uh Clark’s homecoming. So that’s always a good time. You know I’m gonna save the real turnup for then. But just something light. I’m gonna go see some friends. Um you know see some beautiful people. It’s it is what it is. Oh beautiful people. I see I see what you say. I got the handill chill. All right. Um, well, we got rookies reporting Jonah Safia. Did I say it right? No. Savia. All right. Say it regular. You put too much emphasis on the the like your like shoulders are like going up to the top of your head. I I I am gonna struggle. He is Jonah S from this point on because I just can’t get it. Uh Jonah S is the only Dolphins rookie who has not reported. Um as I wrote in a Miami Herald column, this is a complicated situation for a lot of these second round picks. Understand this is about business. This has nothing to do with the Miami Dawsons. This has nothing to do with Jonah. It has more to do with the NFL PA and their intended push to make sure that second round picks have guaranteed contracts. Now, two signed with guaranteed contracts. One did not sign with a fully guaranteed contract. Um, Jonah, he was a later second round pick. Jonah is an earlier second round pick. I don’t know how this is going to end. And this isn’t, we’re talking about 28 players where this is impacted. And understand the importance of it is for people who don’t get it. NFL contracts are not guaranteed to anybody except for first round picks. First round picks have four years of fully guaranteed contracts. There’s a fifth year option. Everybody after that has a portion of their contract guaranteed, but not fully guaranteed in terms of rookies. Veterans, it’s a little bit more complicated than that. Um, I’m not even going to bring that into the equation. Um, but second round picks were basically haggling over $2.4 million of Jonah’s 11 million something contract and finding and making a push for it to be guaranteed. This is important from a league standpoint because players are trying to push heavier and heavier guaranteed contracts. Understand that there’s nothing in any sports leagu’s collective bargaining agreement that dictates these contracts have to be guaranteed. The NBA does not have anything their language where it has to be guaranteed. Major League Baseball, NHL. All of those sports though, however, have guaranteed contracts for their players. The NFL is the only sport that does not have guaranteed contracts. Um, and it should considering it’s the most physical and brutal sport and the players average the lowest salary, but that’s a whole another conversation. If the second round picks make a push for it or at least make headway, they get closer to the ultimate finish line. Maybe the second round is guaranteed next year, fully guaranteed next year. And probably in another five years, maybe they get the third round picks fully guaranteed the year after. But I would like to point out something that I don’t think a lot of people have considered or thought about. NIL deals now, especially in the SEC, are hovering around 800,000 to a to over a million dollars a year for starting players. I don’t even know what rookies are making, what what freshmen are making. So, think about a Fort Jr. who is a third round who is projected as a third round draft pick. Why would he come to the NFL for his signing bonus and a base salary of $840,000 when he could probably make about $2 million from a college team? No, I mean I mean that’s real, but you also have to think about I I know it’s mainly the NBA that really has that this uh uh infatuation with the younger players, but I think it’s across all sports. You you want a guy that’s as young and as skilled as possible, right? So, you don’t want to go back and risk, god forbid, a injury that drops your, you know, draft stock from third to fifth, right? It’s it’s very to me I mean I don’t I don’t want to say it’s very rare but I think it’s rare that you have these that you have guys that are third round picks or that are you know you know first or second day guys that go back and then come out even uh higher than that like somebody like think about Ali Gordon right like imagine like I’m sure he wanted to go out after his uh he probably should have he probably should have but he couldn’t right that’s just the that’s just the rules right he came out as a junior yeah he came out as a junior yeah he had to yeah and so I Yeah. So, but but he could go transfer to University of Miami and probably could have made $2 million. You you’re completely correct. But then you but then this is when you start thinking about the the the psychology of certain things. Certain guys are just loyal. Like point blank period. They’re just loyal, right? They they want to stick with the guy that that got him there, the guy that believes. And like and if that’s and if that happens to be the case, you cannot fault them for that because in this day and age with NIL where guys are jumping from one school to the next to the next, I prioritize loyalty. Right. Okay. That’s cute. That’s cute until the Miami Herald don’t want to give you a raise and you gonna have to go work in Charlotte or Green Bay or Philadelphia and you don’t want to leave. But they they ain’t being loyal to you. That’s fair. And I think and I think you you cross that bridge when you come to it, right? I think these all these situations are are very subjective, right? But from the outside looking in, right? Like I just you know the NFL doesn’t really I mean sports in general don’t like older players, right? They want you as young and as skilled as possible. Yeah. Right. So if you’re and the quicker you get into the NFL, the sooner you get to your second contract. I get that. Exactly. But money is money. Quinn Eurers, I was told by an agent friend of mine, they know for a fact he was offered a contract of $2 million to go play in the in ACC school. Quinn Yers is not making $2 million this year. Should he have done that and then entered the draft? That’s on a Quinn Yurs dec and and I’ve heard that there might be more higher offers out there for Quinn Yurs if he had gone back to college at this point. Here’s a here’s here’s what agents should be pushing for because you can sign with an agent and still play college football because you should be able to enter the draft, not sign and go back and play college football. You should technically I mean Shamar Stewart is thinking about it seems like he might do just that. Yeah. So now the game is changing a little bit and it’s interestingly enough college football is what’s competing with the NFL when we thought nothing was ever going to compete with the NFL. Now college players are making millions of dollars. Uh they’re talking about the M quarterback making $4 million. Yeah, it’s crazy. He I don’t even think he would have been drafted if he entered the draft. So what would Quinn Eers have made? That’s for real. Yeah, because he definitely he’s definitely better than Carson Beck for sure. Yeah. So you know, so the so here’s the thing. The NFL can’t take this hardline stance. Oh, we’re not going to guarantee contracts. Like, okay, you can guarantee contracts or college football can guarantee contract. Somebody going to guarantee contracts. But I think it’s going to it’s going to take that guy. It’s going to take one guy to to do exactly what you said, right? Because right now it’s kind of nebulous, right? Like everyone’s just kind of operating off the precedent. Like I forget the player. I think it was the um it was either Tex or the Chargers. Was it Trey Harris that signed that the guarantee deal? Um regardless, it was Trey Harris. No, he did. No, he didn’t. He He signed it. I’m trying to remember. I It’s the name escaping, but but whatever player signed that second round that who was drafting second round sign that fully guaranteed deal. That’s what changed everything because now all the agents are like, “Well, he did it and if he got it, I won it.” You know, and so that all that that’s what kind of got the ball rolling. Only today have we started to see a few today and I believe last night. I believe Alfred Collins was the first guy um that kind of that didn’t have his deal fully guaranteed since that kind of standoff started. Uh well, I’m saying in the next in the in the last You’re right. You’re right. But I’m very disappointed. Alfred Collins and his agent. Yeah. Yeah. You could have you should have you should have held the line. I agree with you. You you should have held the line. You broke the line. You because I think cuz someone would have broke cuz what you team I and you know what happens if someone doesn’t break. Look look at the Miami Dolphins. Do they have the the the leverage to cuz I don’t know anybody more important than Jonah. Yeah. I was about to say they do not have the offensive line at all. At all. That’s what I’m that and I was thinking I was trying to think of the teams that that drafted a second round guy that they need that kept going back to the Dolphins because I I’m pretty sure they traded all their drafting for this guy specifically. And so I I if if they would have held the line, Alpha Collins would have held the line. I for someone else just signed Shamar uh Turner I believe um DTackle like he he he signed again and I don’t I don’t think his was fully guaranteed either. Man, these guys are holding the line. That’s crazy. I I look man, it’s kind of I’m not saying it it’s it’s like a scab, but like it it’s kind of like I’m not a fan. I’m not a fan. I I agree with you. The problem the what the NFL has always benefited from and understanding the NFL is owned by 32 and even more because they’re minority owners now probably but but majority owners are 32 of the richest businessmen in the world and their CFOs and CEOs and chief operating officer and chief financial officer who are also some of the smartest business people in the because these are who they are employing them. So you’re not going to outsmart them. You’re you’re really not going to outsmart them. You’re not going to strategize better than them. And the problem and the problem that the players union has one bad leadership, which is just a hot mess. I only want to get into it, but it’s a hot mess. U literally the NFLPA leader is is an employee of people trying to own NFL. saw that like like it’s it’s and he was voted in in a secret vote that didn’t involve the players union. Like it’s a it’s a it’s a hot mess. Yeah. There that’s a whole can of worms. That’s a whole can of worms. And I don’t even like I listen I don’t want nobody trying to whack me at the knees cuz me and I I ain’t trying to make no more enemies. But um they can benefit from the fact that players have a short shelf life. They have a short timeline to get paid. Their contracts aren’t guaranteed. So you can’t be worrying about the next guy or the class 10 years from now. You got to be worried about yourself now, which is how they always cave. And I guess these second round picks, they want their little bonuses and and and they don’t want to create change. It’s it’s sad, but and now that the league just got away with colluding against uh Lamar Jackson, like there is no consequence to colluding. Like the people people don’t realize the NFL owners meeting is three days of collusion. Like three days of collusion, planning, strategizing to collude against the workforce like so and when you have weak leadership you just let everybody do you like it’s but anyway um one day Jonah will report speaking of rookies let’s get into our expectations for this rookie class I recently wrote a column where I can expect five rookies to be in the mix for starting spots it’s realistic that five of these rookies are in the mix for starting spot, not just contributing spots. Uh, you got the three defensive linemen. Nobody really knows who’s going to play. I looked at the history of defensive linemen going back to uh I don’t even know how far I went back. Jordan Phillips, maybe the first Jordan Phillips, the lazy one. Um, yeah, he lazy. He was lazy. He was real lazy. Um, we Perk used to make fun of me because I always when I selected to use a picture of Jordan Phillips, there was always a picture of him loafing on the bags and I know you be petty with your picture. You see, for everyone that wa For everyone that watches this, Omar is super petty. Next time you’re reading an Omar Kelly column, you pay attention to that picture and it will tell you a lot about how it depends on how I feel. Yes, that’s what I’m saying. It It shows you a lot about how he feels about that person. Don’t be out with me like that. But yes, I used to intentionally and Perk used to make fun of me all the time because I intentionally Jordan Phillips used to be loafing on some bags and they got a picture of it and anytime I wrote about Jordan Phillips, it was usually about him being lazy. He was cut in my fairness. He was cut by Adam Gage because he was lazy during the season. Claimed by Buffalo. Yes. A second round pick got cut during the season because he was lazy. He just got cut by Dallas because he was lazy. And Buffalo picked Yes. last year he got cut by Dallas because he was lazy. Buffalo picked him up. He’s like only Buffalo gets me. I get to be lazy and I not tremendous athlete. Great player. Nah, I take that back. Good player. When he wants to play, he correct the game. Okay. When he wants to play. When he wants to play. Yeah, that’s a key word there. When he wants to play. But he’s had a 10year career. He’s taken a v. He’s made over $20 million. He’s taken a victory lap. Oh, yeah. Yeah. He He good. He good. He don’t care about what picture you use, Omar. Not care. But we we get back to my study. Every Dolphins defensive lineman that has drafted been drafted in fifth round or higher has played 500 snaps a in in the season. So that means we could expect 500 snaps from Jordan Phillips. We could expect 500 snaps from Kenneth Grant. Now, can I promise you they’ll be good snaps? Because if I’m being real with you, Christian Wilkins wasn’t really that good as a rookie. Yeah, I was looking at those numbers today and I it really was I think he only had like two and a half sacks as a rookie. Yeah, he he he wasn’t a sack guy until his final year, but he wasn’t that great in all aspects of the game. He got better as time progressed as most do. As most do. Um, so what are your expectctions for expectations for those defensive linemen? I think if if if anyone I mean obviously just based on draft position if anyone has the edge obviously it’s KG right Kenneth Grant right and and honestly what I would I I would want to see is maybe not don’t replicate those that that Christian Wilkins year but replicate maybe the uh the the year before the breakout right the 2022 season right um six pass to flight two forest fumbles fumble recovery rookie three and a half sacks I’m not saying I’m not saying those I’m just I’m reading you out the numbers. I’m not saying replicate those exact stats. Just reading out the numbers. I because and I say that because he has a running mate in Zack Cer, right, who is a game recorder, right? And so what I want to see from Kenneth Grant is specifically doing the things that uh Greer and McDaniel drafted him for, specifically with his ability to move the pocket, right? Affect the pocket and move it in certain d direction with just his sheer size and speed. But then also, I want him to be a force in the run game, right? If if he plans to be a a a a nose tackle, as the Dolphins, you know, draft him to be, he he has to be one of those guys that can stop the run, right? I want him to be just a it’s a big gap guy where if you run at him like it’s it’s over, right? And I that’s what I want from him in terms of uh Zeke Biggers and and Jordan Phillips. Look, just just crack the rotation. If you crack the rotation, just give me serviceable minutes. As you said, not all not all 500 snaps have to be perfect, right? But if you can give me a good I mean, you’re a rookie, right? So, if if you can give me a third of those snaps look good at the be at the beginning of the year and you can grow to maybe 40 and maybe 50% of the snaps look good, I I’m not I don’t have an issue with that because you’re drafted on, you know, you’re drafted later rounds right now. Kenneth Grant, the bar is a lot higher outside of outside of that those positions. Um, and I know you know you’re going to get to this. I’m and I’m gonna take a take a leap of faith and say the two other guys that you say are gonna have mix gonna that that will have an opportunity to get in the mix are Jonah and Jason Marshall Jr. Am I correct? Yes. Yes. Jonah obviously has Ali I think Ali Gordon. Who’s to say that he can’t beat out uh I mean Jaylen I agree with you. I I think I I I we liked uh both of us you know had saw some things that we definitely like from him. I mean, he has definitely has good speed. Obviously, he runs high, right? And as uh you know, coach Studesville told us like he’s not going to change that, right? He’s going to instead uh you know, educate him, right, to the perils of running high. You think about a guy like Demarco Murray, right? They just have short short. Yeah, exactly. They just He’s not He’s not He’ been running like that since he was probably like six years old. He’s not changing style now. Um Exactly. It’s just and and that that to me is why you play them. You just running backs are like tires. You I have I’ve heard this from NFL people. Running backs are like tires. You run them till the treads run off. Yeah. And that’s rough. That’s a rough way to think of it. But I mean Yeah. And and obviously like they got a steal for a guy that was, you know, the best running back in the country. because he runs high. Know I mean runs high but it also just stat took a dramatic hit in year two but that’s because and he got a little off the field situation. Yeah but that is because you know I mean they knew about him that year right you s you can surprise somebody one year but once they know about you they’re stacking that box. And I think he has one. If you look at Mike McDaniel’s history, even going back to the 49ers, Mike has no preference about who he plays. If you can master the play call, if you can get the concepts together and and you you know what you’re supposed to do, it really comes down to intellectually. I remember this is one of the best things that a player once shared with me. Brian Hartline once who’s who’s um I think offensive coordinator Ohio State now former Dolphins wide receiver, one of the smartest players that I ever covered. I used to go to him all the time when there was things that I did not understand. He would explain them to me. This is why he’s a good coach. And I could always tell you who’s going to be a good coach and who’s not because he used to swear to me he wasn’t going to coach. Um uh he said he always said to me, you know, you know what the difference is between the the the young players that play early and the young players that don’t play? And he was like, intellect. Can you get the playbook? If coaches can’t trust you, they not going to play you. And that that that follows Cam Smith. Cam Smith is a superior athlete to a lot of the quarterbacks that played. Yeah, there’s some durability issues, but it’s not there yet. And will it ever be there? I don’t know. Um, and Vic Fanjo said, “Can’t trust you.” Uh, uh, uh, Weaver put you on the field. We saw we can’t trust you. Um, and you know it intellect. Can you master it? Can you get it? Can you diagnose? Can you can you figure it out? Can you are you a quick learner? Brian Hardline, I believe the year he was drafted, Pat Turner, was a son of an NFL coach, a superior athlete. Don’t don’t tell Brian that. Um, he was drafted ahead of Brian Hart. Brian Hartine was the one who played and became the starter. You never heard of Patrick Turner. Um, but you know, uh, uh, and and then Jason Marshall Jr., I don’t know. I I can you te can you tell me who are the three starting quarterbacks? No, I I cannot. I mean, Kater Co, I can tell you that. I can take that. But outside of that, I I cannot, right? And so that’s, you know, obviously why he has the, you know, the best, not the best, but a pathway to to to start. Only thing is we didn’t see much from him, you know, in the brief snippets of of mini camping. And um but but in in his fairness that we didn’t see much from a lot of those guys. Oh, of course. Yeah. Keep in mind Tyreek ain’t working. The game changes when Tyreek works. Of course. Of course. Of course. Jaylen Wild was half working. Yeah. Spot spot situations and he was tearing you up in those spot situations. Yeah. Um uh Westbrook A was hurt. And really, who else is there on the receiving unit? But but to that point, that’s when you want to see domination from the defensive side of the ball, right? If for me, I mean, you and you saw that a little bit in the trenches, right? But uh on the on the outside and on the back end, not not really. And that to me is a the safeties had had better had better days in the corners. But yeah, the safeties think about think about those picks. Think about who got those picks. I saw a lot of quarterbacks with picks. Who? Isaiah Johnson. Ify Dante and then Isaiah Johnson. That was it. It was iffy. Trader had Trader had a pick. Dante Trader. Yes, Dante. That he’s a He’s a safety. Yes. Thank you. Two to one. As far as I’m concerned, they had a better day taking the ball away than the corners did. That’s objectively true. It’s two to one. We We’ll see when Tyreek shows up if the game is changed. We going We going We going to figure out who can actually play quarterback. Of course, but Tariq shows up to work. Of course, but it you can’t but you can’t lie and say it’s not a cause for concern that that they weren’t really that the best that the best play that was made from that quarterback unit was by a guy that was on the uh practice squad last year. Like that’s Oh, Isaiah Johnson is a baller now. Don’t hold on. I agree. Is he all the in int like he looks the part? He is my dark horse. I think if you give Here’s the thing. Will everybody be getting a fair shot? No, not at all. Do you Do you Because I know you know I know that because Cam Smith is gonna get run and and I haven’t seen anything from him that that shows that he deserves that run. But that’s that’s a Chris Greer I prefer to give my draft picks. But even you using the word prefer shows that it’s not fair. That preferential treatment, but we got to base it on productivity. Like Noah Igbanogy got preferential treatment for four years. He still sucked and he always went from first team to third team. It happened, you know, every year he still started in the league, but he always went he always started high and then came low. I’m curious to see if they’ll do what Brian Flores did. I think it was a 2019 season where Nick Needam became a starter and it was based on practice performance and daily practice performance. You practiced well that day. Well, no matter what unit you were playing in, you went to first team the next day and they saw how you responded to first team the next day. Then the next day, whoever practiced well, they got they got moved up. I like that. And and I’m not going to say it worked, but it was interesting and it allowed the better player. Like I I always respect and you will the the player that I always respect the most on the team are the players who earn everything that they’ve got. They keep what they kill. Of course, Nick Needam earned his job that year. He got on the field and he literally won a game for the Dolphins as a rookie against Indianapolis. And then we had the little Safi Dean, you know, superstar. We we was asking questions about about Nick Needam like and Brian Flores like y’all treating him like he a superstar. He laughed and then Brian Flor is like what you what’s so funny? Oh yeah, I’m petty. You know I am. No, I got I got I got to text about that. That’s funny. Oh, yeah. It’s it’s a it’s an infamous meme that Dolphin Yeah. He always he always picked on Safi which which is you know um but yeah but my point is Nick Needam earned his playing time and before Kater Kohu only surfaced because Nick Needam got hurt. Mhm. So and then Kater got his opportunity. He shined at times. He struggled his sophomore se his second season, but came back and had a really strong, respectable third season. My question about the secondary is this. Obviously, Kater’s going to want to play boundary, too. You know why he’s going to want to play boundary? More money. For those who Yeah. For those who cannot see the podcast. Yes. More money. More. More money. More money. So now if Kater goes to the boundary and then also plays nickel, who serves as the backup nickel? Do we have a backup nickel? Well, I was about to say, would it be Arty? I I if Arty makes the team cuz we haven’t seen Arty prove that he belongs in the NFL, have we? Um, I keep giving him contracts, but um, I I I think from a leadership standpoint, there is a definitely an argument to keep him in the in the uh, in the room because if you look to you already we already talked about how it’s kind of the blind leading and the blind out there, right? It’s not I’m sorry, like for lack of better terms, it’s the truth. For lack of better terms, like there are guys in this that are leading this locker room that haven’t been perennial starters in their career, right? like Kater Co had a solid season last year and he’s the leader in that room. No, no, no disrespect to Kater Co, but it’s just the reality of the situation, right? And so when you think about that, at the very least, Arty Burns has a pedigree, you know, University of Miami, um, first round, uh, started, you know, several games. Obviously, you know, he’s been in the league for a minute now, so obviously his production gonna tail off. But if if you’re looking at a guy who’s, you know, who’s done the who’s walked the walk, for a lack of a better terms, I wouldn’t necessarily want to get rid of that guy. Um, you know, it depends on the productivity. Depends on productivity. And also, it depends on if they sign somebody, you know, in the next Oh, yeah. Cuz he he he’s a he’s a first he’s on the first thing out here. First thing smoking the minute they find somebody they want to claim. Um, like like that’s just the reality of this business. Like they always want to invest in the young guys. Like you could cut Arty and Arty can sign. Arty is doesn’t have to be claimed. If you release Isaiah Johnson, he’s on the waiver wire to be claimed. So you could always get Arty back. You can sign him to the practice squad. You know, this is the business mechanism of the NFL, which is not necessarily fair. It’s not always about performance or productivities. Most of the time, it’s about money. And I’ll point out to you, Ari is the type of veteran where if he’s on the roster the first day of the season, he has to get his whole contract guaranteed. Whereas if you cut him and then resign him the second week of the season, you go week to week. Yeah, that’s true. It’s it’s gangster here in the NFL. Yeah, it’s some man. So crazy. That that’s the business end. Now, speaking about business, um, the Miami Dolphins will have a interesting, probably complicated situation with Zack Cer, who most of us expect to be a camp holdin in some form or fashion, considering he was a training camp and mini camp OTAA holdin. Um, according to Mike McDaniel, he was there every day. He just didn’t show up to the field every day. and when he did show up to the field, he didn’t work. Um, clearly this is not an injury considering Zach is the 31st highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL. Um, and that’s an average. That’s not even what he’s making checkwise this year. Because what he’s making check-wise this year, which is seven and some change million dollars, he’s the 50th highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL. So, now in fairness to the Miami Dolphins, they did do his contract twice. When he was a restricted free agent and then when he heading into the year he was a restricted free agent and then heading into the final year of his deal, he signed a three a three-year $30.75 million contract. $20 million of his was guaranteed. He was averaging 10.25 throughout the duration of the contract. And now the guaranteed money is gone. Player of Zack Cer’s caliber. Here is why you make sure that you have guaranteed money on future years. If Zack Cer goes out there to training camp and suffers an ACL injury in week one, the Dolphins can cut him and not owe him a penny. not even be respons well they are responsible for rehabbing him but technically bye-bye Zach and Zach is under contract for two years $16 million the next two years but a player of his caliber is making $16 million a year not $16 million over two years and as he approaches 30 which is basically when the NFL wants to take you out back and shoot you um you know put him down I Oh, old yeller. I got you. I got you. Yeah. Uh that’s that’s your last chance to get the money. Yeah. Um before the NFL wants you to pay for 60 to 70 cents on the dollar for what you’re worth. Yeah. How if you’re Chris Greer and the Miami Dolphins do you handle this Zack Cer situation? I mean I don’t want to say a blank checkbook, but but I think once you have to do nothing. I I I you have to do something. You do. You Why do you have him under contract for two years? Ah, I think well, one, you’ve already set this terrible precedent of you have one good year, let’s pay you. Right. And obviously that that that blew up in your face. That blew up in your face. That definitely blew up in your face a little. But he’s had two good years. I was about to say, but but with with Zach specifically, hold on. And and Tyreek has had Tyreek had two dominant years. I agree. Wadd had two good years. Tua had two good one good year. I was about to say the way you you owe me for them adjectives. Let’s not let’s not let’s not let’s not get it twisted. Let’s not get it twisted, sir. One good year. All right. But I think but when you think about Zach Cer, right, it’s the onfield production is great, right? Obviously, that’s why he wants the money. But if you if you look at who he is in that locker room in the in the culture, quote unquote, people who can’t sing, I’m I’m putting up air quotes right now, that they’re trying to build, you want a guy like Zack Cer at the foundation. I’ve said this time and time again, he’s a guy, to your point, who has eaten what he’s killed, right? It’s a guy who came in the league undrafted, who was able to carve out a nice little career for himself, right? And those are the guys that you should want to reward, right? And if I’m rewarded him twice, you’re right. But the market had changed drastically. You had a guy in mil. Is that my problem? You were not. It’s not Is that my problem? It’s not your problem. It’s not your problem. But in the interest of good faith, right? If you’re trying to set a a a a new a new culture where look that one year stuff, we’re not we’re not doing that no more. You you have one good year, the next year you come back and you and you ball again, then we can talk. I think that’s the that’s the type of of of I guess precedent that they need to be setting, right? Show me it’s it’s not show me what you’ve done for me lately. It’s show me what you’ve done lately and then some. Like that to me it should be the ultimate goal. And the ultimate goal should be to pay Zack C this year. Let’s not let’s not let I don’t I don’t want to hear because he deserves the money and a lot of people deserve the money. A lot of people deserve the money. You’re right. But do people deserve it? Like Zack Celer, let’s let’s paint let’s paint a picture. Let’s paint a picture for you. Right. Last year, both the edge rushers go down, right? Like you you the what was thought to be one of the strongest units on your on your team basically just is decimated in a matter of couple weeks, right? you you you’re virtually getting no pressure from the outside for weeks until you have Chop Robinson has his little you know what I’m saying at the end, you know, coming out party the season. Okay. The only defensive player outside of Jaylen Ramsey that was handling business and Jordan Brooks that was handling business on a consistent basis because you want to have one for each unit, right? The secondary linebacker crew and defensive uh you know defensive line. For me, you look at Zack Cer and not only is he the the guy that is talking the talk on the fields, he’s walking the walk off the field, man. Like, like that to me is are guys that you want to play. I like these I like guys that are quote unquote blue chip guys that have got it out the mud and like I I like and and that’s not and that’s all respect to Jaylen Ramsey and what he’s done in his career. I think what he did in his career earned him that that extension last year. But the fact of the matter was it wasn’t the best decision because you haven’t had him for that all that career. You know what I’m saying? You have him right now. And don’t get me wrong, he rushed back from the injury like put up some good stuff, you know? And like that deserves like something, but I don’t know if it deserves the contract extension that they gave him. Like good lord. I just saw the list that they that the um that the ESPN released today with the top 10 corners. And I know it’s all it’s all it’s all whatever. It’s all but the fact that Jaylen Ramsey didn’t make the top 10. That’s that’s that’s that’s a lot of young player favoritism there. There are so many players on that list. And I’m not I’m not caping for Jaylen Ramsey. I have a respect for Jaylen Ramsey. Am I scared of Jaylen Ramsey? Yes. Everybody. But that’s that’s that’s favoritism. You you you go out there and you line them up and me versus him. Yeah. I would probably take Jaylen Ramsey over everybody but maybe three quarterbacks on that list. Even though Jaylen Ramsey got routed up a few times last year. Oh, don’t do that. Only Only Garrett Wilson routed him up. He got caught in some double moves. Come on. A lot of people are double moves not not routed getting routed up. Okay. So, you tell me everybody um Chosen routed up um um um Certain. He sucked now. Chosen routed him up. I’m not saying I’m not saying that Jaylen Ramsey sucks. For the record get beat. Everybody get beat once in a while. Everybody does get beat. Everyone does get beat. It was It was It was uh a Wilson who just got $130 million contract. Not Robbie Chosen, who I got a lot of respect for. Robbie, I love you. You know, at Robbie Robbie, my dude, he still belong in the NFL. Um Robbie Chosen routed up Pat Certain Jr. like for that for when was this? This was this was this was last 2023. Yeah, that was 2023. So it wasn’t it wasn’t his DPLY year. No, no, he was still he was still that dude. He was No, no, he was still that dude. He But but you don’t you don’t believe the the one year. He didn’t get one year. No, no, no. All I’m saying is I would choose Jaylen Ramsay over everybody but um the cat Houston that that snatched the ball from from Tyreek. Yeah, Certain. Okay. And then maybe the Johnson kid in Chicago. That’s it. Wow. That’s it. No, no respect to Denzel Ward. Good. That’s fair. I I saw Denzel Ward. What he do against Miami? That that team booty cheeks. Um Jaylen Ramsey, you know, you come on. You put him on an island. I agree. I I I agree. I I think I think the we we heard a lot about how he how he lost the snap and all that stuff and like I I I like sure maybe and like and I and I will say like like the him like there’s I can remember it was Brian Thomas Jr. it was Marvin Harrison Jr. and then it was also Gary Wilson. those three scored on those were the three guys I definitely got the better of and so usually and it’s rare I don’t know if that speaks to the quality of the of the rookie receiving class or that speaks to a decline in his skill level what regardless of the fact he’s still a shut down corner I still have a lot of respect for him I don’t know if I I agree with you if you’ve taken those are the only three quarterbacks you’re taking over him I might be able to name one more guy uh the the the Gonzalez kid in I was about to say I like him, but he’s only done one season. He got hurt. He balled this rookie season, then got hurt. Came back. He was good. He didn’t ball. You know, I I need to see just like you. I need to see Give me two Give me two years before I before I put you o ahead of Jaylen Ramsey. But anyway, that’s fair. Um, on that note, I I I I’m playing devil’s advocate on the Zach situation. Everybody knows I’m a player’s advocate. Um, My take is, and I’m writing a column about it in the Miami Herald, if you claim you want to do the right thing and you are going to you want to change the culture and you want to set the culture, you take care of the people who amplify and it what you want the culture to be. Exactly. Z the first guy in, the last guy out. You drafted three defensive tackles because you want Zack to teach them what they need to do. Exactly. Like, and now you’re not a native. Like, that doesn’t make sense. But see, and and that’s that’s the thing. That’s the hard lesson that players are going to have to learn as they get older. These teams are not going to take care of you. You have to twist their arm. That’s right. Bend their back. bend their arm backwards behind their back and hold a hold a shank to their side to make them give you the money. And and Jaylen Ramsey’s very good at that. Like like now Zack Cer, it’s not in his personality to get dirty and nasty, but he probably gonna have to get dirty and nasty to get the money. Question before we wrap up. Do you think he should have uh held out of mini camp? Do you think that would have sent a message? No, they know. They know what they know what time it is. And when he doesn’t work in training camp and he’s standing there watching, they know what time it is. And and and you don’t want him to work and you want him to get off to a slow start and your defense get off to a slow start. You know what time it is. You know what time it is. Look at what you did. Look at what happened to to Javon Holland. Not to use him as a perfect example because I’m sure he will say he gave his best, but did he really give his best? I mean, he was banged up. I know, but and I’m just trying I’m just trying to get I’m just trying to get to my 30 million without getting injured. That’s fair. I don’t care about you. You don’t care about me. I don’t care about you. That’s real. I’m I’m just saying your employee not going to take care of you. Why should you take care of them? That’s real. Yep. W So, welcome to the NFL. Um we we shall see next week the beginning practice is on no availability is on Tuesday. We will talk to uh Mika Fitzpatrick and Darren Waller. Woo. Let’s wait for those conversations. Um and then practice I believe begins on Wednesday. Dolphins in depth. The goal is to do a podcast every single day we do practice. I don’t know if I could deliver on that promise. Let’s go. Let’s do it. Yeah. But we do have a new channel. There is a dedicated Dolphins in-depth channel which is not associated with the Miami Herald channel. And I encourage all of you to subscribe to the Dolphins inepth channel so that you can get the updates on when we actually do do a podcast. But you know how we rock. You know training camp. That’s my time. I own that thing. So all right. Yeah, I’m I’m I’m on my uh I’m I’m on my clips flow right now. Like, yeah, you you know what time it is. Um so, we will be here for you for training camp and hopefully the Miami Herald has a $2 for three months subscription package. $2 for three months that covers you up until October. That’s real. And by then you better just you you got to get a handle. You got to figure it out. You got if you like this premium Dolphins content, you know. Yeah. If you want to be behind like if you want to be behind the payw wall, you know what time it is cuz I am a payw wall person. They put me behind the payw wall on purpose. So you know what time it is. I can’t I can’t promise you that $2 for three months is going to continue to be there. Yeah. So uh hopefully you will subscribe. On that note, we will be out. We’re out. And we’ll be back next week.

The Miami Dolphins are pushing for a culture change, but the player who personifies the culture the team aspires to have is one of the biggest bargains in the NFL. As training camp’s start approaches we have to wonder if Sieler will be a participant, or if he’ll become a camp hold-in, skipping the work in an attempt to get a new contract. During this episode of Dolphins in Depth we discuss Sieler’s push for a new deal, explain why Jonah Savaiinaea remains unsigned, and discuss the expectations for the rookie class.

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