November 17, 2020
Less than 24 hours after the Dolphins put the finishing touches on the team's fifth-straight victory, the team announced a pair of roster moves.
Injury Report and Roster Moves
The Miami Dolphins today announced they have signed defensive tackle Zach Sieler to a contract extension through the 2023 season. He's played all nine games and totaled 26 tackles (13 solo) and 1.5 sacks on the season.
"The organization is great from the top down," Sieler said Monday afternoon. "To grow here and continue with this culture we're starting to build, I'm very happy to be a part of that."
The Dolphins also announced they waived running back Jordan Howard. Head Coach Brian Flores explained the decision in his Monday press conference.
"We released Jordan Howard this morning," Flore said. "This was a mutual parting. Given the circumstances, Jordan handled himself professionally. He was a consummate pro. There were no issues. We just felt this was in the best interest of both parties. I have a lot of respect for the way he worked, no ill will or anything of that nature."
The first injury report for Dolphins-Broncos will be available on tomorrow afternoon.
National Attention
A five-game winning streak will create some buzz. Peter King mentioned linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel among his special teams players of the week portion of the Football Morning in America piece.
Andrew Van Ginkel, linebacker, Miami. Does this guy make a huge play every week? On the first series of the game for the Chargers, Van Ginkel broke through the middle of the Chargers' punt team, smothered a Ty Long punt, and it was recovered at the Miami 1. That blocked punt handed the Dolphins a 7-0 lead.
NFL Network and Daniel Jeremiah -- host of the Move The Sticks Podcast -- broke down Miami's defensive performance.
The Dolphins also carved out a spot in Albert Breer's weekly column on Sports Illustrated.
Miami's got plenty to celebrate. The Dolphins are 6–1 since starting the season 0–2, and scored their fifth straight win on Sunday by outlasting the Chargers at home, 29–21. And it happened this time in much the same fashion most of the team's wins have.
Jim Trotter of NFL.com detailed his belief that Miami's 29-21 win over the Chargers offers the team legitimacy.
There is a sporting axiom that managing success is harder than coping with failure, particularly when a franchise is attempting to reverse more than a decade of struggle. Miami is just such a franchise. It finished 5-11 last season in Flores' first year on the job and has had only one winning season since 2008. However, with each week, the staff and players distance themselves from that dubious past. In fact, they appeared to float off the field last week in Arizona after a dramaticwin over the Cardinals, which made Sunday's victory all the more impressive.
They Said It
Emmanuel Ogbah is on an absolute tear. He's recorded at least a half of a sack in eight straight games and a full sack in six consecutive contests. The latter ranks second in franchise history behind Jason Taylor, who picked up a sack eight games in a row in the 2002 season.
Ogbah is tied for fourth in the NFL with eight sacks and tied for third among all edge defenders with 40 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus. He's tied for the lead with four batted passes at his position and his 17 run stops (tackles within two yards of the line of scrimmage) are tied for 16th. Monday, Ogbah discussed the steps he made to get to breakthrough 2020 campaign.
"The young Emmanuel just didn't really take into consideration how much you use your body during the season," he said. "So I wasn't really into nutrition and I didn't work out as hard as I am now. Massages, acupuncture, (cryotherapy), I get all that stuff done. I think about it as an investment to my body."
Around the Beat
Currently, the Dolphins are fifth in scoring defense allowing just 20.2 points per game. The roster, like the rest of the Dolphins operation, is a collection of players acquired from various sources. Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post highlights the snap counts and production of a handful of players who were drafted on day three, signed from waivers or undrafted period.
DL Zach Sieler (52 snaps, 83 percent) — Needham was an undrafted free agent. Sieler, a former 7th-rounder, was claimed off waivers from the Ravens last December. He is a persistent beast. He is relentless. That he played more snaps than even Shaq Lawson and Raekwon Davis (7 tackles, and emerging) shows you how the coaching staff feels about him. Sieler led the team with two tackles for loss on Sunday. Sieler is a hidden gem find for GM Chris Grier.
Dolphins On Social
On this Day in Dolphins History
November 17, 2002 – Miami improves to 6-4 with a 26-7 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Dolphins running backs scored three touchdowns including a pair from Ricky Williams as the 2002 NFL rushing champ went for 102 yards on 26 carries.
Stat of the Day
Defensive tackle Zach Sieler has played 326 snaps this season, contributing in both the running and passing games. Per Pro Football Focus, Sieler has 17 quarterback pressures and 17 run stops (tackles on run plays within two yards of the line of scrimmage).
Content on Tap
Tuesday means the return of Dolphins Today. Johanna will get you caught up on all the latest from Dolphins Headquarters. Plus, Drive Time with Travis Wingfield is back as we break down the all-22, go inside the numbers and hear from Dolphins coordinators and assistant coaches.
Don't miss the latest edition of the Fish Tank podcast as former Dolphins great Bob Baumhower to dives into the tank with Seth and O.J.
