Player
Tyrel Dodson
LB · Dolphins
Tyrel Dodson: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
From UDFA Bills depth to Dolphins starting LB with 127 combined tackles in 2025.
TrendDodson by season (regular season)
| Season | Team | G | TK | AST | TFL | Sacks | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | BUF | 10 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | BUF | 16 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | BUF | 17 | 18 | 10 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | BUF | 17 | 49 | 18 | 9 | 2.5 | 0 |
| 2024 | SEA/MIA | 17 | 46 | 47 | 5 | 2.0 | 3 |
| 2025 | MIA | 16 | 70 | 57 | 10 | 5.0 | 1 |
Dodson signed with Buffalo as a 2019 UDFA out of Texas A&M and spent five years as backup/situational. The breakout was 2023 (his contract year) when injuries forced him into the lineup and he posted 49 solos, 9 TFLs, 2.5 sacks.
He signed in Seattle in 2024, was traded mid-season to Miami, and re-signed with Miami where in 2025 he's finally a clear full-time starter.
Combined tackles per season
| Season | Combined TK |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 18 |
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2022 | 28 |
| 2023 | 67 |
| 2024 | 93 |
| 2025 | 127 |
Buffalo era: 92 tackles in 5 years. Post-Buffalo: 220 tackles in 2 years.
SplitDodson before/after leaving Buffalo
| Span | G | Combined TK | TFL | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2023 (BUF) | 60 | 126 | 12 | 4.5 |
| 2024-2025 (SEA/MIA) | 33 | 220 | 15 | 7.0 |
For five years behind Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano in Buffalo, Dodson barely got run — 126 combined tackles across 60 games as a Bill, mostly as a sub-package piece. Then he leaves: in just 33 games over 2024-2025, he's posted 220 combined tackles, 15 TFLs, and 7 sacks.
The per-game rate jump is enormous: from 2.1 combined TK/game in BUF to 6.7 combined TK/game post-BUF. Sometimes scheme + opportunity is all that's missing.
5 sacks AND 3 INTs over the last 24 months — a rare 2-way LB profile.
RareAcross 2024 and 2025 Dodson has racked up 7 sacks, 15 TFLs, 14 QB hits, AND 4 INTs. Off-ball linebackers usually pick a lane — either downhill thumper (sacks/TFL) or coverage piece (INTs/PDs). Dodson has produced in both.
The 3 INTs in 2024 and 1 in 2025 is unusual for an MLB — fewer than 10 off-ball LBs in the league have 4+ INTs over that span. He sits in zone, baits crossers, and finishes.
5.0 sacks in 2025 — career high and most by any Dolphins off-ball LB this season.
MilestoneDodson's 5.0 sacks in 2025 is a career high (and double his previous best of 2.5 in 2023). For an off-ball linebacker — not an edge — that's a high-end blitz line.
Miami DC Anthony Weaver leaned on simulated pressures and green-dog blitzes from the LB level in 2025. Dodson's 6 QB hits that season are tied for the team lead among non-edge defenders.
Combined with 10 TFLs (career high), Dodson finished 2025 as a clear top-15 production line among all off-ball LBs.
Mid-season trade in 2024 (SEA → MIA), then re-signed with Miami in 2025.
AnomalySeattle signed Dodson to a 1-year, $4.25M deal in 2024 to be their starting MLB. After 9 starts and 33 combined tackles in Seattle, the Seahawks released him in early November.
Miami picked him up immediately. In 9 games as a Dolphin in 2024 he posted 31 combined tackles, then re-signed for 2025 and produced his best NFL season: 127 combined TK, 10 TFL, 5 sacks.
The round trip: 5 years buried in Buffalo → released by Seattle → career-defining season in Miami. Classic late-bloomer arc.
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