Cowboys Cut Viral Speech Star Shiyazh Pete Ahead of NFL's 53-Man Roster Deadline

Since Shiyazh Pete's locker-room speech after a Cowboys preseason win went viral, racking up more than 10 million views on social media according to Yahoo Sports, the undrafted rookie has been the feel-good story of Dallas's training camp. On Sunday, Aug. 30, that story hit the wall every undrafted free agent eventually hits: the NFL's roster cut deadline.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Cowboys waived Pete ahead of the roster cut deadline to trim rosters to 53 players. Pete's agent, Brett Tessler, confirmed the move and said his client "had a memorable preseason and should get the opportunity to continue developing somewhere this season," according to on3.

Pete wasn't cut for lack of trying. He appeared in all three of Dallas's preseason games and didn't allow a single quarterback pressure across 16 pass-block snaps, according to Yahoo Sports. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer called the whole episode "really cool" and said he was "really proud" of what Pete had done for the team, per Yahoo.

None of that changed the math. Dallas, like all NFL teams, had to get down to 53 by Sunday's deadline, and KJZZ reports roughly 1,184 players league-wide faced the same possibility of being cut this weekend. Heavy.com, citing the team's need elsewhere on the line, reported the Cowboys simply had "too much depth at the position."

What made the speech go viral in the first place

Pete became the first member of the Navajo Nation to sign an NFL contract, according to KJZZ, on3, NBC Sports and Yahoo Sports. When the Cowboys played the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Aug. 21, an entire section of Navajo fans showed up waving the tribe's flag. NBC Sports notes more than 140,000 Navajo Nation members live in Arizona. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stood with Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren before the coin toss, according to KJZZ.

After the game, Schottenheimer let Pete address the team, calling the full-section ovation for a player who logged just six fourth-quarter snaps a first in his 25 years coaching, per on3. Pete's remarks to his teammates were simple: "Fate brought us here as strangers, but this game, this star, this team will make us brothers." The Athletic later ran a feature on the moment titled "An NFL player's viral speech was just 59 words. It captured the power of sports," according to on3.

The strongest case for keeping him, and why it didn't win out

A fair-minded fan could argue the Cowboys had every reason to find Pete a roster spot on reputation alone: a clean pass-blocking preseason, zero pressures allowed, a historic first for the Navajo Nation, and a national media moment that generated goodwill for the franchise. That's a real argument, and it's the one Pete's supporters are making. But nothing in the reporting suggests the Cowboys' coaching staff or front office ever weighed the speech against the roster math. Schottenheimer and the front office made clear the calculus came down to numbers at a deep position, not sentiment. No source disputes that Dallas evaluated Pete on football performance alone.

Where the coverage split

Heavy.com's report placed Pete's viral moment after a Cowboys win over the Seattle Seahawks, but other outlets, including NBC Sports, on3, Yahoo Sports and KJZZ, identify the game as the Aug. 21 preseason matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale. Multiple outlets support the Cardinals version, including the Cowboys' own video release cited by NBC Sports.

Separately, Breitbart and Bleacher Report covered the cut as a straightforward football transaction and left out the Navajo Nation angle entirely, while KJZZ, NBC Sports, on3 and Yahoo Sports built their coverage around the historic nature of Pete's contract and the tribal community's response. The football-only accounts omitted an angle that made national news specifically because of the Navajo Nation's role.

What happens now

Pete has 24 hours on the waiver wire before any team can claim him, a window Heavy.com and Yahoo Sports both note could put him on a new 53-man roster elsewhere or back on Dallas's practice squad if he clears; Yahoo Sports reports he is expected to clear waivers. KJZZ raised the possibility that the Cardinals, whose fans gave him that standing ovation, could be the team to sign him.