FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys signed tight end Mitch Van Vooren to the practice squad Tuesday, the club announced. Dallas waived Van Vooren on Sunday among the 28 players it put on the wire to reach 53, and he cleared waivers Monday.
Van Vooren is the 16th player on the practice squad. Adedayo Odeleye holds the 17th spot as the International Player Pathway addition.
Van Vooren caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Sam Howell on Friday night, in the fourth quarter of the preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints. The drive ran 12 plays and 67 yards. Howell then ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 24. New Orleans won 27-24 on a 53-yard field goal with 1:55 left. Van Vooren finished with 2 catches for 27 yards.
How Mitch Van Vooren Got To The Dallas Cowboys
Dallas signed him Aug. 24, in the final week of camp. Todd Archer of ESPN reported the move alongside the corresponding transaction, a waived/injured designation for defensive tackle Kelvin Gilliam. Gilliam tore a triceps in the last week of practices in Oxnard, Calif., the Dallas Morning News reported. Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers were both hurt at the time, and the Cowboys had dressed two tight ends at Arizona.
Van Vooren, 25, has been on four rosters in two years. The Seattle Seahawks signed him as an undrafted free agent in June 2025 and released him nine days later. The Cleveland Browns picked him up that August. New England signed him July 22 after a workout and released him Aug. 18. He has not played a regular-season game.
Mitch Van Vooren At Marquette And St. Norbert
His only scholarship offer out of Peshtigo High School in Wisconsin was to run track at Marquette. He spent four years there and earned Big East All-Academic honors in each of them. He ran 51.38 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2023 NCAA West Preliminary, a Marquette record.
An extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic sent him back to football. Van Vooren enrolled at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., as a graduate student and played two Division III seasons at tight end while continuing to compete in track. He caught 65 passes for 1,045 yards with 13 touchdowns in 22 games. His final season accounted for 33 catches, 510 yards, and 10 touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference selection that year.
Four years away from football cost him extra study hours, Van Vooren told TMJ4 in Milwaukee in March 2025, before his pro day at UW-Whitewater.
“Just make sure I’m physical, I can block as much as I can,” Van Vooren said of learning tight end. “Just get my nose in the run game and use my speed and show what I can do outside.”
Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted the Marquette-to-Division III path when Dallas signed him last week.
“You never know when’s the last snap,” Van Vooren explained to SI’s Patriots site in July. “When I get in there, just showcase my ability and I know what I can do. So hopefully I can show the team and the general public what I believe myself.”
Dallas Cowboys Tight End Depth
Dallas kept 3 tight ends on the initial 53-man roster: Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, and Brevyn Spann-Ford. Princeton Fant is on the reserve list. Trigg was waived Sunday after a toe injury slowed him in camp and returned on the practice squad Monday. Zack Kuntz was waived Sunday and has not been brought back.
One standard spot is still open. Dallas waived quarterback Joe Milton III on Monday, and the club plans to add him if he clears, Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com reported.
Dallas opens the season Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
