Cowboys Sign Rookie Free Agent with Powerful Backstory

Despite not hearing his named called in the 2025 NFL Draft, Virginia tight end Tyler Neville will officially live out his dreams after being signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an un-drafted free agent.

Neville will head to training camp with odds of making the team stacked against him in a TE room with Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker and others, but Neville has overcame odds much greater in his past.

The now 6-4, 248-pounder grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia. Early in his life, Neville faced what was one of many challenges to come - he was born was without hearing, which caused him to undergo over 20 surgeries to restore his senses.

Then, as a skilled high school basketball player, Neville was given a heartbreaking diagnosis just a week after making the varsity team as a freshman.

"I went in and took a x-ray because I was having some discomfort in my chest. There was growths in my chest, armpits and lymph nodes," Neville said.

"And I get home and both of my parents are home - which was weird, both of my parents are never home. They kind of bluntly told me that the doctor called them, told them I had cancer."

According to his foundation's website, upon hearing of the diagnosis, Neville was still just worried about whether he could go to basketball practice that night. Admittedly, there were tears during this hardship, but there was a motivation that it wasn't going to get in the way of his passions.

Later on after months of chemotherapy, Tyler announced he was cancer free just after his 16th birthday. The following year, he took up football and joined the Lafayette High School varsity team as a tight end and linebacker.

Neville worked his way to becoming a standout prep player, earning over 30 Division I scholarship offers for football, and eventually earning an opportunity to play at Harvard. He spent four seasons with the Crimson before transferring back to his home state to play at Virginia for his last year of eligibility.

In 2024, he caught 37 receptions for 394 yards and two touchdowns. While he did not get drafted, he soon signed with the Cowboys to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing professionally.

Since his remarkable journey, Neville has founded the Tyler Neville Foundation that strives to be a bright light to children enduring cancer treatment.

During the Cowboys' time of high-character emphasis under Brian Schottenheimer, they have brought in an exceptional example in Neville that the love of sport can outweigh any of life's challenges.

"I think without those medical issues, I wouldn't be the man I am today," Neville said. "So, although, maybe, they were tough ... I'm better for going through them."