Tyrel Dodson

BIOGRAPHY

Tyrel Dodson was born on June 25, 1998, in Franklin, Tenn. He is a linebacker in the National Football League.

Dodson played college football at Texas. Dodson attended to Centennial High School; during his time at high school he recorded 111 tackles, 32 of which were for a loss, eight sacks, two interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns; on offense, had over 500 receiving yards and scored 16 touchdowns. He earned 2014 11-3A Defensive MVP, 2015 Class 5A Mr. Football, 2015 5A First Team All-State (TSWA) and 4-star rated by 247Sports and Rivals. He played college football for Aggies at the Texas A&M University; as a freshman in 2016, he appeared in every game and recorded 27 tackles including 1.5 for a loss on the season and recovered a fumble. During his sophomore year in 2017 he led the team with 105 tackles, 11.0 TFL including 5.5 sacks, picked off three passes and hurried the QB four times and broke up eight passes; also amassed 10 or more tackles in five games. In 2018 as a junior he played in all 12 games at linebacker and ranked third on the team with 61 total tackles, had six TFL loss totaling 18 yards, broke up three passes and recovered a fumble. He was named to the preseason Bednarik Award Watch List and Nagurski Trophy Watch List; also was given the Defensive Playmaker Award at the team’s annual banquet. Dodson announced that he would forgo his senior year and declare for the NFL draft.

Dodson signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL Draft. Following an incident in Arizona, Dodson received a 6-game suspension. He was later waived and resigned to the practice squad upon finishing his suspension. Dodson made his first regular season appearance on September 13, 2020 during a 27–17 win over the New York Jets. He entered in place of starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who suffered a shoulder injury, and was himself injured later in the game. Dodson recorded his first career sack during the game, taking down Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. With Edmunds out the following week against the Miami Dolphins, Dodson made his first career start. He was placed on injured reserve on October 24, 2020. He was activated on December 12, 2020.