The “eye poke” suffered by Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler is reportedly more serious than it initially sounded.
According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, the Dolphins defensive lineman suffered a fractured orbital that could require surgery and may send Sieler to the injured reserve.
“It was a first in my football history,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said of the injury Friday. “He will not play this game. Timeline is unknown, and that’s kind of where it stands. … It’s week to week. I just know he’s not going to be available for this game.”
How it happened hasn’t been revealed and Dolphins offensive linemen were quick to deny responsibility for the injury.
Liam Eichenberg comically cleared his name as a potential suspect for who poked Zach Sieler in the eye in practice.
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) October 25, 2024
“Incidental, for sure,” Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead said. “Nobody was trying to go for an eye, but you’re playing fast, playing low, big guys moving around, it’s unfortunate, for sure. Zach is one of the best players on the team – one of the best players in the league, so him dealing with that is definitely unfortunate for us.”
The Dolphins don’t have much depth at the position with only four other defensive linemen — Calais Campbell, Da’Shawn Hand, Benito Jones, and Brandon Pili — on the active roster. The team recently lost veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Harris off the practice squad, and now only have linemen Neil Farrell and Matt Dickerson available to be elevated.
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