Kelly: Zach Sieler’s search for a Christian Wilkins replacement hasn’t been easy | Opinion

Imagine Zach Sieler as the star in the football equivalent of “The Bachelor,” handing out roses as he tries to move on from his breakup with Christian Wilkins.

In that popular nationally televised dating show contestants seek to create a bond with someone of the opposite sex with the hope that the relationship will end in marriage. Each week roses are handed out to signify a contestant’s advancement.

Sieler, the Miami Dolphins’ veteran defensive lineman entering his seventh season, has spent the past five months trying to move on from Wilkins, who is known as “Pepper” in the “Salt & Pepper” combo that wreaked havoc on the NFL the past five seasons, and the goal was to find a new defensive line partner he can grow with.

Wilkins signed a four-year contract worth $110 million with the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving as a free agent, and Raekwon Davis signed with the Indianapolis Colts. The Dolphins countered by signing Neville Gallimore, Jonathan Harris, Benito Jones, Isaiah Mack, Teair Tart and Calais Campbell to free agent deals, and re-signed Da’Shawn Hand and Brandon Pili.

As the season’s Sept. 8 start against the Jacksonville Jaguars approaches there are few survivors from that group of newcomers.

Tart was cut during training camp because of his lackluster practice habits. He has since joined the Los Angeles Chargers.

Gallimore, Harris and Mack didn’t survive this week’s final cuts. Gallimore signed with the Los Angeles Rams the day after his release. Harris re-signed to Miami’s practice squad, and Mack remains unsigned.

That leaves Campbell as the front-runner to be the last D-lineman standing as Sieler’s primary dance partner.

“That’s going to be Christian in 10 years,” Sieler said, comparing his new teammate to his old one. “The passion he has for the game is unreal.”

If everyone’s healthy, Miami’s base defense will feature a front line of Sieler, Jones, as the nose tackle, and Campbell as the five-technique end, with Hand and Pili serving as their backups.

“I don’t know if there’s a stronger guy out there,” Sieler said of Hand, a 2018 fourth-round pick the Dolphins added early last season as a free agent, and used sparingly. “He’s a load. He’s done a great job at learning how to work off each other, play off each other and kind of play freely.”

And that’s what this whole selection process has been about. Finding someone whose skill sets complement Sieler, who has a workhorse mentality.

But the truth is that Miami’s defensive line is thin on talent. and outside of Campbell, a 16-year veteran who has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, and Sieler, who produced 63 tackles, 10 sacks, and one interception last season, they are relatively unproven.

“We feel good about our group again. We think Pili has done a nice job, improving every day. Hand has been really good for us,” general manager Chris Grier said. “We’ve been really happy with him from last year coming in and continuing working, and then obviously with Zach, and Calais has been an outstanding addition for us. We’ve been really, really happy with him so we feel good about the group, but obviously we’re always looking for depth.”

Stopping the run was what Miami did best last year on defense. The Dolphins allowed 3.8 yards per carry, which ranked seventh in the NFL in 2023. And the run stopping was what allowed Miami to pin their ears back and hunt quarterbacks on passing downs, which led to the Dolphins setting a franchise record of 56 sacks.

For this year’s defense to be good, Miami has to yet again be good at stifling the opposition’s run game, and that starts with Sieler.

According to Campbell, Sieler, who has made 50 NFL starters, has already proven he’s a productive NFL player.

The next step for him in his career is becoming a game changer, and turning up the volume on his leadership.

“You want your best players to be your leaders, and the last couple of years he’s been one of the most productive players on this team,” said Campbell, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, who was named the 2010’s All-Decade team. “I told him, you’re doing everything right. You lead by example, but now you’ve got to be more vocal. People are looking at you.”

And Sieler’s looking for a defensive lineman who deserves his rose, and wants to create a bond that will help lay the foundation for the Dolphins defense.