Phins waived Isaiah Prince to make room for DE Zach Sieler
The Miami Dolphins made a series of small but interesting moves this week. While this Phins season has been an odd one with huge roster turnover, this week was busier than most.
The Phins struggling offensive line had the most moves this week. Miami released rookie Tackle Isaiah Prince and Guard / Center Chris Reed and called up from the Practice Squad Guard / Center Evan Brown.
I was surprised to see that Prince didn’t get resigned to the Practice Squad today.
Former Phins offensive line coach Pat Flaherty had Chris Reed as his starting Guard. Flores disagreed with this evaluation and also Flaherty’s hesitancy to start the rookies. In a sense, Reed was a major reason for Flaherty getting fired. Reed did look solid in his limited appearance, but Flores prefers Brown over Reed. The Panthers quickly claimed Reed off waivers. We’ll see how these two moves pan out.
Another interesting transaction note: The Phins tried to sign Guard / Tackle Sua Opeta, but the Eagles blocked the move by promoting him to their 53-man roster. Given the Dolphins issues at the offensive line and Shaq Calhoun’s struggles, all these moves create an interesting storyline over the next few weeks.
Other roster moves this week included:
RB Kalen Ballage and DB Ken Crawley (also waived) placed on Injured Reserve
Released Prince in order to sign Zach Sieler from the Ravens who released Sieler to sign Center Hroniss Grasu
Phins claimed WR Mack Hollins off waivers from Philadelphia.
DE / DT Zach Sieler has the potential to be a part of the Phins 2020 team
You can bet with the top pay per head site as www.AcePerHead.com, that Baltimore didn’t want to release 2nd-year player Zach Sieler. BUT, the Ravens are preparing for a playoff run and were in desperate need of help at center, so Sieler was released to make room for Grasu. Talent, although raw talent, hit the waiver wire and the Dolphins pounced.
Sieler is huge, fast, and strong. At 6’6” 290lbs, Sieler benched 225lbs 31 times, ran his forty in 4.82 seconds, and owned his opponents with 50.5 tackles for loss and 26.5 sacks over his last two years in college. He has all the physical tools to play in the Phins 4-3 / 3-4 scheme. Also, he has been in an excellent system these last two seasons, so he is trained well.
But, there’s a catch: he’s raw and played against lesser talent in college. Still, in his limited showing in this Regular Season, he posted 3 solo tackles in 24 run snaps with a PFF Grade of 71.5.
Can Flores turn Sieler into a part of the future? If Flores can even get Sieler to be a solid rotational player, this will be a good win for the franchise. Fans should keep a close eye on Sieler over the next few weeks. I know I will. The fact that the Dolphins signed him with three-years left on his contract means they have some faith in this signing.
Can the Phins fin any worthwhile players in these last few weeks?
Miami has a two-front battle: Finding players for the future and getting as many wins as they can. Getting some of these scrap-heap players to perform might be more valuable long term, but don’t discount how valuable these wins are either. With talk starting to crop up here and there about Flores getting consideration for Coach of the Year, optics are changing for the Phins. Don’t fool yourself, optics matter.
Talking about positives with the media all week long between games and in the offseason creates a far better atmosphere around the complex than talking about negatives. I say the less negativity and distractions Miami has to overcome in 2019 and heading into 2020 the better.
