For years, the New England Patriots were a prime destination in the NFL for undrafted free agents: at one point, the team had a 19-year streak of at least one UDFA making its Week 1 roster. The streak found its end in 2023, but was potentially started anew in 2024.
The player who started it? Safety Dell Pettus.
Hard facts
Name: Dell Pettus
Position: Safety/Special teamer
Jersey number: 24
Opening day age: 24 (6/2/2001)
Measurements: 5’10 3/4”, 200 lbs, 29 5/8” arm length, 8 1/4” hand size, 4.51s 40-yard dash, 7.00s 3-cone drill, 4.36s short shuttle, 33 1/2” vertical jump, 10’0” broad jump, 18 bench press reps, 6.39 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2024-) | College: Troy (2019-23)
A three-star recruit out of Sparkman High School in Harvest, AL, Pettus joined Troy University in 2019 and spent his entire college career with the Trojans (even though he briefly entered the transfer portal in 2021). Taking advantage of the NCAA’s Covid-19 rules, he had five full years of production: he appeared in a combined 63 games and registered 315 total tackles as well as one interception, fumble recovery and blocked field goal each.
Despite his experience, productivity and individual accolades — he was named to three All-Sun Belt teams (2019 honorable mention; 2020 third team; 2023 second team) — Pettus flew largely under the radar heading toward the NFL. He eventually had to start his pro career as an undrafted free agent with the Patriots, for whom he appeared in 17 games during his 2024 rookie campaign.
Scouting report
Strengths: Pettus offers solid moving skills in the backend, and possesses both the speed and agility to succeed in zone and man coverage looks. He combines it with an intense play style built around his physicality. While not the most imposingly-built player, he is competitive both when coming downhill to fill gaps a run defender or press the pocket as a pass rusher and when following tight ends in man-to-man situations. A sure tackler who offers a “hit first, ask later” play style, he also offers definitive special teams value.
Weaknesses: Pettus’ athletic skills are adequate, but they cannot fully make up for some of the shortcomings and rawness at this stage in his development. His lack of length means that he is only marginally disruptive at the catch point, and he also has limited reactionary skills as a man coverage defender. He also needs to improve his processing and route recognition in zone, while additionally becoming more disciplined against misdirection. He furthermore has yet to become a consistent impact player going back to his college career.
2024 review
Stats: 17 games (1 start) | 341 defensive snaps (30.5%), 231 special teams snaps (52.9%) | 28 tackles, 1 missed tackle (3.4%), 1 TFL | 13 targets, 8 catches allowed (61.5%), 76 yards | 7 quarterback pressure (1 sack) | 6 special teams tackles, 2 missed tackles (25%) | 1 carry, 2 yards | 2 penalties
Season recap: One of nine first-wave free agency signings after the 2024 NFL Draft, Pettus joined a Patriots safety group that was quite deep and well-established on paper. The expectation was that starters Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers would play a majority of snaps, with Jaylinn Hawkins and Marte Mapu offering situational and rotational depth behind them; Pettus, meanwhile, found himself on the roster bubble.
Despite his lack of pedigree, however, he quickly managed to make a name for himself in training camp and preseason: he was competitive in the run game, made plays in coverage, and carved out a role on special teams. As a consequence, he became the Patriots’ sole UDFA to make the initial 53-man roster out of camp.
Early on, Pettus saw a majority of his work on special teams. Serving as the personal punt protector, among other roles, he was a regular in the game’s third phase right out of the gate — something that remained true throughout the season.
When all was said and done, he had played 231 kicking game snaps, ranking fifth on the team in that category. He furthermore was tied for fourth with six combined tackles, and had one of the Patriots’ best plays of the year when he moved the sticks on a fake punt against the Buffalo Bills in Week 16.
Pettus’ defensive contributions, meanwhile, were less steady especially early in the year. Over the first seven weeks, for example, he played only 75 total defensive snaps.
Of those, 54 came in a single Week 5 contest against the Miami Dolphins: Pettus was elevated to the starting lineup to help replace the suddenly-absent Dugger (ankle injury) and Peppers (commissioner’s exempt list) and promptly registered a season-high eight defensive tackles.
With Dugger’s ankle injury worsening and Peppers only returning for two more games, Pettus’ usage became more consistent from Week 8 on. Overall, he increased his snap percentage from 16.2 to 40.5 down the stretch and also registered his first career sack in a Week 10 win over the Chicago Bears.
While still primarily used as a rotational player, Pettus’ contributions — particularly considering his prominent special teams role — were mostly positive. As a result, his rookie campaign can be classified as an individual success for the former undrafted free agent.
2025 preview
Position: Multiple safety | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2026
What will be his role? Pettus’ role will be two-fold yet again. He will serve as depth at the safety position; he will mostly back up the box safety types à la Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, but can also provide an extra body at the free safety spot. Furthermore, the 24-year-old will be part of New England’s special teams operation and potentially reprise his role as personal punt protector.
What is his growth potential? The famous second-year jump is something Pettus very well might experience in 2025, particularly in regards to his processing and general comfort within an NFL defense. While his developmental upside might not be immense compared to other youngsters within the Patriots secondary, he very well has the talent to become a key reserve at safety on top of being a five-down special teamer.
Does he have positional versatility? Despite a lack of experience, Pettus wore several hats for the Patriots as a rookie: he mostly aligned as a box safety (115 snaps) but also regularly aligned deep (96) and in the slot (83) while also splitting out wide (30) and moving up to the line of scrimmage on occasion (17). Additionally, he was heavily involved on five kicking game units between kickoff return (61), punt coverage (71), kickoff coverage (57), field goal/extra point block (22) and punt return (19).
What is his salary cap situation? Pettus entered the NFL on a standard three-year UDFA deal in 2024, and as part of it is carrying a $963,000 cap hit into the 2025 season. At the moment, however, only a fraction of it is actually counted against New England’s books: Pettus does not qualify for Top 51 status, which means that only his fully-guaranteed signing bonus proration ($3K) is part of the equation at the moment; his base salary ($960K) is not and will only become relevant once he makes the team in September.
How safe is his roster spot? Pettus having an encouraging first year in the NFL does not necessarily mean his roster spot for the upcoming season is safe. Besides his upside seemingly being limited, the Patriots are also quite deep at safety: Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers and Craig Woodson are locks, as is special teams ace Brenden Schooler; Jaylinn Hawkins’ odds are also quite good, while Marcus Epps cannot be counted out either. For Pettus to earn a spot, he will likely need to rely on his special teams play again.
Summary: Pettus has a lot of positive attributes and was one of the Patriots’ few pleasant surprises in 2024. His story continuing into 2025 is not a given, but there is a path for him onto the team or at least its practice squad.
What do you think about Dell Pettus heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.