MIAMI GARDENS — Zach Sieler went from being unwanted to a $30 million man.

Raheem Mostert was cut seven times, including by the Miami Dolphins nine years ago, but he also was signed 10 times.

Over the next several hours, there will be nearly as many players turned away from NFL camps as there will be those still employed. By 4 p.m. Tuesday, teams must reduce rosters to the 53-man limit.

“And it’s devastating,” said Mostert, the Dolphins’ leading rusher. “Because your hopes and dreams are right there in front of you.”

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They still are. For some.

Mostert and Sieler are living proof. Monday, they recalled the low points of their careers, which they didn’t allow to also become the end of their careers.

“Raheem Mostert. Jordan Poyer. Myself,” Sieler said. “There’s guys that get cut left and right. It takes three, four, five, six times before you find a home and find out where you fit in a defense or with a coach that you figure it out with him. So I just tell the guys keep their head up and just keep working.”

Last season, Mostert got the last laugh on teams that underestimated him for years. He led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns. Beyond hard work, he credits maturity.

“I would tell people all the time that one thing that I truly was blessed about was that I didn’t burn bridges,” he said. “Because those same bridges that you keep a hold of and keep them strong, they come around tenfold.”

Chip Kelly was coaching the Philadelphia Eagles when he parted with Mostert. But when Kelly landed in San Francisco, he took Mostert back in.

“And guess what? I made a mark in San Fran,” Mostert said.

1972 Dolphins banked heavily on second-chance linemen

The 1972 Dolphins never would have been the 1972 Dolphins without the right outlook. That team owed much of its success to the best offensive line in franchise history. Two of the linemen are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Difficult as it is to believe, both center Jim Langer and guard Larry Little were, early in their careers, rejects. Little went undrafted, signed with the San Diego Chargers for $750 and was soon traded to Miami. Langer was cut by Cleveland before the Dolphins snagged him.

Today, it’s Miami’s defensive line that lucked into Sieler, who recently was rewarded with a three-year extension.

“I think the biggest thing for me was after getting cut the second time up in Baltimore and coming down here was just put it all on the line,” Sieler said, referring to December 2019. “Coming down here, there’s three weeks left of the season. I didn’t know the defense. I didn’t know what was going on and I just said, ‘You know what? Let’s just go out there and play. Don’t overthink and just go play ball.’ And in those few games I was able to play and make enough plays that they wanted to keep me for another year.”

It’s not just players trying to break into the league whose nerves are tested this week. Mostert is close to fellow running back Jeff Wilson Jr., whose roster spot could be taken by fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright. Mostert said he thinks Wilson has earned a job.

“But you never know,” he said.

And for the unlucky dozens of suddenly former Dolphins?

“I always try to make sure I reach out and give support to those who aren’t here,” Sieler said. “I tell them there’s a plan. You put your head down, keep working and work through it.”

Even those who don’t, Sieler said, can be proud.

“There’s nothing to mope about,” he said. “The fact of the matter is you got to the NFL. Period. You played. You were in a whole camp. You were in an NFL jersey. You did preseason games. That alone is hard enough. I mean, I think the stats are like 0.02 percent of all high school football players make it to the NFL or even get a shot at the NFL. So that in itself is a huge accomplishment.

“That’s why you make sure those guys know that.”

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Raheem Mostert, Zach Sieler: Dream need not end if cut