Pats Pulpit
They may not have shown the urgency one would expect, but the New York Jets still found themselves in a position to cut into their 13-point deficit just outside the two-minute warning of their Thursday night game against the New England Patriots. A conversion and possible touchdown would have allowed them to stay in the game and maybe pull off the upset after all.
However, Patriots safety Dell Pettus had different plans.
Covering tight end Jeremy Ruckert 1-on-1 on a pivotal 4th-and-4, the second-year defender was able to break up the pass to force a turnover on downs. Three plays later, running back TreVeyon Henderson iced the game by gaining a fresh set of downs.
For Pettus, the play was a highlight moment in a season that saw him develop from roster bubble player to the third option in the New England safety room. Unsurprisingly, head coach Mike Vrabel made sure to give him a shoutout in the postgame locker room.
“I would file Dell under a guy that takes advantage of his opportunity,” Vrabel told his entire team. “We know what that leads to: more opportunity.”
For Pettus, opportunity arrived as soon as he joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2024. The Troy product saw action in all 17 of his team’s games as a rookie, playing a combined 572 snaps between defense and special teams.
Heading into 2025, however, his outlook was unclear. The Patriots not only had veteran starters Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers under contract, they also re-signed Jaylinn Hawkins, signed free agent Marcus Epps, and added Craig Woodson in the fourth round of the draft. All-Pro special teamer Brenden Schooler also provided depth at the position.
And yet, Pettus was able to make his way onto the 53-man roster in late August. From there, he continued to develop — and see the group around him change: first, Peppers was released, then Dugger was sent to the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the NFL trade deadline. That last move allowed the 24-year-old to climb up the depth chart to his current spot.
While his opportunities remained limited — he has only played 12 combined snaps on defense since Dugger was traded — he has been up to the task.
“Somebody who is so consistent, reliable, and showed up at big points this year,” said linebacker Robert Spillane on Thursday. “Huge play on Kyle Pitts the other week, comes up huge for a game-winning play for us on fourth down. I can’t say enough good things about him. He comes every day looking to get better, preparing to win and preparing as a starter. So, when you make plays in this league, you tend to get more opportunities to make more plays. So, we’re excited to see where it goes.”
