An undrafted find out of Texas A&M who turned himself into one of the league's most reliable every-down tacklers.
Tyrel Dodson has never been a marquee name, but he has quietly built a career on volume tackling and dependability at the second level. After stops in Buffalo and Seattle, the linebacker landed with Miami, where he posted the first 100-tackle season of his career in 2025. Now entering his seventh NFL season, he remains one of the Dolphins' steadiest defensive pieces.
Path to the league
Dodson starred at Texas A&M, leading the Aggies in tackles as a sophomore before racking up 70 tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown in the Gator Bowl as a junior. He left College Station early for the draft but went unselected, signing with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Career highlights
Dodson spent five seasons in Buffalo (2019-2023) developing into a reliable rotational and eventual starting linebacker before a 2024 stint in Seattle. Across his career he has amassed over 379 career tackles, 11.5 sacks, four interceptions and multiple forced fumbles and fumble recoveries, establishing himself as a consistently productive run defender.
2025 season recap
Claimed off waivers by Miami from Seattle in March 2025, Dodson started immediately and delivered a career-best season, finishing with 129 tackles (72 solo), 5.0 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble across 16 games. It marked the first 100-tackle campaign of his career and cemented him as a full-time starter alongside Jordyn Brooks in Miami's linebacker corps.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Tyrel Dodson
- Pro Football Reference: Tyrel Dodson
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
16 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | dolphins | 16 | 129 | 72 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2024 | seahawks | 9 | 71 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024 | dolphins | 8 | 36 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2024 | 2024 Totals | 17 | 107 | 59 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 2023 | bills | 17 | 74 | 57 | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2022 | bills | 16 | 32 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | bills | 16 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | bills | 10 | 22 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Texas A&M
- Hometown
- Franklin, TN, USA
- Age
- 28
- Status
- active
