Shiyazh Pete played six snaps in the Dallas Cowboys‘ 34-13 win at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday and drew a standing ovation from Navajo Nation fans when he entered the game. Pete is the first player from the Navajo Nation to sign with an NFL team.
Thousands of Navajo attended the game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, roughly a five-hour drive from the Navajo Nation capital at Window Rock. Fans behind the Dallas bench chanted his last name, and Cowboys players cleared the bench to join them. Pete blocked for Phil Mafah‘s fourth-quarter touchdown run.
Brian Schottenheimer asked Pete to break down the team in the locker room afterward.
“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.”
Pete was born in Ronan, Montana, on the Flathead Reservation and attended Shiprock High School on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Saturday was his second preseason appearance. He also played in the opener at Seattle on Aug. 15.
“I just want to take a moment to thank the fans, and the people who showed up to support me, celebrate my name and wear my jersey,” Pete explained. “I lost count of how many Navajo Nation flags I saw. I saw a Salish Nation flag as well, which was awesome.”
Shiyazh Pete’s Path To The Dallas Cowboys
Pete wears No. 75 and stands 6-9. He told the Dallas Morning News in May that his father is 6-1 and his mother is 5-5, and that the average man from the Navajo Nation is roughly 5-6.
Pete walked on at New Mexico State in 2021 and played 45 games over four seasons. He was first-team All-Conference USA in 2023.
An injury cost him the first six games of 2024. He returned to start the final six at left tackle, then entered the transfer portal. Michigan pursued him before he chose Kentucky, his parents told the Navajo Times. He played 12 games in the SEC in 2025 against schedules that included Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and Auburn.
Pete went undrafted in April. Dallas signed him as part of an 11-player undrafted class after the 2026 draft. He is listed at 309 pounds and has worked at both guard and tackle during training camp.
Shiyazh Pete’s 53-Man Roster Outlook
The Cowboys carry 18 offensive linemen, including 2025 first-round pick Tyler Booker and 2024 first-round pick Tyler Guyton. Terence Steele, Tyler Smith, and Cooper Beebe are also on the roster.
Dallas has to cut from 91 players to 53 before the opener, then can fill a 16-player practice squad.
“Maybe one of the hardest workers I’ve been around,” Schottenheimer said of Pete. “Maximized all his opportunities. Everyone loves him because he’s like the way he is today. And like I said, when he broke it down, I mean the room went crazy just because he spoke from the heart and he talked about how this family has brought us all together and now we’re bonded for life.”
The Cowboys close the preseason Friday against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium, with kickoff at 7 p.m. CT on CBS.
