DP #24

Dell Pettus

Safety · Troy

An undrafted Troy safety who built a career as one of New England's most reliable special-teams tacklers.

Dell Pettus was never a marquee name coming out of Troy, but five seasons of starting experience and 61 consecutive college starts gave him the foundation for an NFL career built on dependability. He has stuck on New England's roster through two full seasons largely by dominating the coverage units.

★ 61 consecutive starts at safety, Troy (2019-2023)

★ Two-time All-Sun Belt honoree at Troy

★ 310 career tackles at Troy

★ Six special-teams tackles in 2025, career-high snap share on coverage units

Path to the league

Pettus started 61 consecutive games at safety across five seasons at Troy from 2019 to 2023, finishing his college career with 310 tackles and two-time All-Sun Belt honors. He went undrafted in 2024 and signed with the New England Patriots as a rookie free agent.

Career highlights

Since joining New England, Pettus has carved out a steady niche on field goal, extra point, punt and kickoff coverage units while also rotating in at safety. Despite going unselected in the draft, he has outlasted multiple roster shakeups to remain a fixture on the Patriots' 53-man roster.

2025 season recap

Pettus played in all 17 games in 2025, recording six special-teams tackles on 231 special-teams snaps. He forced the first fumble of his career against Carolina on September 28 and recorded the second sack of his career against the Jets in the regular-season finale.