The Dallas Cowboys’ offense was in peril. They were missing three of five tight ends because of injuries, and the regular season starts in less than a month. To make up for those losses, they had to sign another TE, and unfortunately, that meant the end of another player’s tenure.

On Monday, the Cowboys announced that they signed 25-year-old Mitchell Van Vooren to make up for the lack of TE depth ahead of the third preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.

“After Brian Schottenheimer said in his press conference that he’d expect to add a tight end,” Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com wrote on X on August 25. “The Cowboys have signed TE Mitchell Van Vooren. The corresponding move was Dallas waived/injured DT Kelvin Gilliam.”

Defensive tackle Kelvin Gilliam took the toll of the new signing, and he was waived by the Cowboys after sustaining a triceps injury during training camp last week. In order to play in 2026, Gilliam would now need to have an injury settlement with Dallas.

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The three of five tight ends who are injured include Brevyn Spann-Ford, whose injury is undisclosed at the moment, undrafted rookie Michael Trigg, who impressed in the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks but is dealing with a toe injury, and D.J. Rogers, who has a knee injury.

This leaves Luke Schoonmaker and Zack Kuntz as the only TEs available for the Week 3 game, with Van Vooren becoming the backup.

The Patriots signed Van Vooren on July 22 after a successful private workout and film review to add depth to the roster for their preseason games. He would feature in the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts on August 13, catching one pass for 4 yards in a 13-13 tie.

But shortly after his game time, due to competition from undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin, C.J. Dippre, and Jack Westover for the backup role, Van Vooren was released by the Patriots on August 18.

Releasing Van Vooren had no salary-cap impact for the Patriots. His $885,000 non-guaranteed contract was not on the top 51 list, with Van Vooren earning a per diem compensation of $2,000 per week.

Now that the Dallas Cowboys have signed him, his rather unconventional journey could go on a path of success in the NFL.

Mitchell Van Vooren’s Unconventional Journey to the NFL

While Mitchell Van Vooren is bouncing between different teams in the NFL, he dabbled in track and field during his college days at Marquette University. Moreover, it wasn’t just a passive interest. He set a school record in the 400-meter hurdles at 51.38 seconds in the 2023 NCAA West Preliminary round.

But football was something he was always fond of, and still had his eyes on that career path since his freshman year. He finally got a chance to put his plan into action when he transferred to St. Norbert College and recorded 65 passes for 1,045 yards and 13 touchdowns in 22 games for the Green Knights and became a two-time All-NACC player.

His first glimpse of making it to the NFL came in June 2025, when the Seattle Seahawks signed the undrafted rookie but ended up releasing him just nine days later. He was then signed by the Cleveland Browns in August 2025 and featured in three preseason games, recording 13 offensive and seven special teams snaps before being released by them as well. He continued training for almost a year, finally landed with the Patriots, and is now with the Cowboys.

“A lot of people take the traditional route and play big-time football for four or five years,” Van Vooren told Breanna Reinhart of We Are Green Bay in early August. “My journey is different, but sometimes the long way around is the best one for you. I wouldn’t change it.”

With the Cowboys, he has a real shot at making the roster, with key players out with injury. His first, and potentially only, opportunity to prove himself in a game will come against the New Orleans Saints on Friday.