Tyrel Dodson

Tyrel Dodson (born June 25, 1998) is an American professional football linebacker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies.

Early life Dodson grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, raised by his single mother Angela,

Professional career

Buffalo Bills Dodson signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL draft. Following an incident in Arizona in which he was arrested and accused of domestic violence, Dodson received a six-game suspension after pleading guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges. He was later waived and re-signed 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.

Dodson played in 16 games in the 2021 season and recorded 15 tackles. On February 10, 2022, Dodson signed a one-year contract extension with the Bills.

In the 2022 season, Dodson appeared in 16 games and started three. He finished with one sack, 32 total tackles (22 solo), and one fumble recovery.

On March 14, 2023, Dodson signed another one-year contract extension. He competed for the starting middle linebacker position in the wake of Edmunds' departure in free agency, but lost out to Terrel Bernard, who had missed most of preseason. Despite this, Dodson would be thrust into the starting lineup himself when All-Pro Matt Milano suffered a season-ending leg fracture. Dodson finished the season with 10 starts and a career-high in playing time, with most of his snaps being on run defense. He was also graded as the Bills' most-improved player that season by Pro Football Focus, improving his score to 89.5, the second highest among linebackers league-wide, from a 2022 score of 48.4.

Seattle Seahawks On March 14, 2024, Dodson signed with the Seattle Seahawks

On July 18, 2024, Dodson was placed on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. On July 23, he was activated from the PUP list after passing his physical.

After starting the first nine games of the season, Dodson was waived on November 11, 2024, following the Seahawks' bye week. Although Dodson was the Seahawks' leading tackler, head coach Mike Macdonald later told journalists that he felt improvement was possible at the second level of the defense, citing explosive runs that the team had given up. After his release, Dodson told media that he was "pissed off" and that he felt that he "was a leader."

Miami Dolphins Dodson was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins on November 12, 2024. In Week 17, Dodson recorded 15 tackles, an interception, and a pass breakup in a 20-3 win over the Cleveland Browns, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

On March 13, 2025, Dodson re-signed with the Dolphins on a two-year, $8.25 million contract. In 2025, Dodson earned a starting role and had a career year, finishing second on the Dolphins in tackles and third in sacks.

On August 30, 2026, Dodson was released by the Dolphins as part of final roster cuts.

Carolina Panthers On September 1, 2026, Dodson was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad.

Personal life Dodson was the first alumnus from Centennial High School to make it into the NFL. He hosted a football camp for the school in 2021.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles 2019 BUF suspended / 2020 BUF 10 2 22 13 9 2 0 1.0 0 2 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 — — 0 2021 BUF 16 0 15 10 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 — — 0 2022 BUF 16 3 32 22 10 1 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 2023 BUF 17 10 74 57 17 8 6 2.5 0 2 0 0 — 0 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 2024 SEA 9 9 71 41 30 5 3 2.0 0 2 0 0 — 0 0 1 0 — — 0 MIA 8 3 36 18 18 0 1 0.0 0 4 3 7 2.3 7 0 0 0 — — 0 2025 MIA 16 16 129 72 57 10 6 5.0 0 3 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 1 6 6.0 0 Career 92 43 379 233 146 26 17 11.5 0 13 4 7 1.8 7 0 3 3 6 2.0 0

Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles 2019 BUF 2020 BUF 2021 BUF 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 — — 0 2022 BUF 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 1 -1 -1.0 0 2023 BUF 1 1 8 7 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 — — 0 Career 5 1 10 8 2 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 1 -1 -1.0 0