Historic Cowboys Rookie Included in First Wave of 53-Man Roster Cuts

The Dallas Cowboys have cut their first wave of players, and among them is historic rookie offensive tackle Shiyazh Pete.

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Shiyazh Pete (75) takes the field before the game between the Cowboys and the Saints at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Dallas Cowboys are in the process of cutting their roster down to 53 players by the deadline at 5 p.m. CT and they have already started notifying players they have been let go.

Among the first wave of cuts is undrafted rookie and offensive tackle Shiyazh Pete, who became the first NFL player of Navajo heritage in league history.

Along with Pete, the Cowboys have also parted ways with cornerback Josh Butler, offensive lineman Chris Glaser, tight end Zack Kuntz, tight end Mitch Van Vooren, linebacker Langston Patterson, defensive back Zion Childress, wide receiver Jaden Smith, offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez and offensive lineman DJ Wingfield, according to ESPN's Todd Archer.

No surprise cuts from that list.

While Pete's release is unfortunate, there's a chance he could still stay with the Cowboys. If he clears waivers on Monday, Pete can be signed to the practice squad.

Shiyazh Pete's epic postgame speech

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Shiyazh Pete (75) at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Kentucky product went viral after the Cowboys' second preseason game by delivering an epic postgame speech to the team following its win over the Arizona Cardinals.

"Well, that was an incredible win," Pete said. "I am very fortunate to be amongst you and to play on the same field, wear the same star, hold it on our chest, and I'm proud of us. Proud of how far we've come."

"This game, fate, brought us here as strangers, but this game, this star, this team will make us brothers," he concluded.

this game, this star, this team will make us brothers 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/rEcvDTzSkd

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 23, 2026

I don't know about you, but that speech gave us goosebumps.

That wasn't the only special part of Pete's night, as the rookie was cheered on by members of the Navajo Nation who were in attendance in Arizona to watch him play.

“The standing ovation was incredible,” Pete said, according to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I want to thank all of the fans that showed up to support me and wear my jersey. I lost count of how many Navajo Nation flags I saw. It was awesome.”

“I saw hope and courage,” Pete added. “It’s definitely etched in the history books. It was incredible. I’m just trying to find the words of how special and impactful that was."

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was blown away by the special moment.

“It was really cool to see him have that moment, but also our players to join in and helping to celebrate him,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “That was really cool. I hadn’t seen that before. I’m really proud for him and for what he’s done for us.”

If you want to keep tabs with all of the Cowboys' 53-man roster cuts as they come, follow along with our tracker right here.

Dallas and the rest of the teams in the NFL must cut their rosters down to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.

After that, the Cowboys will scour free agency and then the waiver wire on Monday to see if they can add anyone else to shore up holes.

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