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The Basics
Height: 6’3
Weight: 231 pounds
College: Oregon
Experience: 6
Troy Dye is a born-and-bred California boy who grew up in Norco, CA and attended Norco High School. There, he was a productive safety, racking up over 200 tackles and five interceptions across his junior and senior seasons. He’d graduate as a three-star prospect who earned First-Team All-CIF and All-State honors before committing to play his collegiate ball at the University of Oregon.
Dye saw the field right away for the Ducks as he started nine of 11 games in 2016. He led the team with 92 total tackles to go with 13 tackles for loss 6.5 sacks, an interception, and one pass breakup. The 2017 season saw him start all 13 games, leading the team once again with 107 tackles. He also posted a new career-high 13.5 tackles for loss with four sacks, another pick, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovered for a touchdown.
The 2018 saw Dye lead Oregon in tackle for the third-straight season as he racked up a new career-high 115 stops to go with eight tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, one more interception, and a career-high seven pass breakups. Dye would end his career with a 2019 campaign that ended in a Rose Bowl Defensive MVP award after helping the Ducks topple Wisconsin alongside now-Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. He’d finish the year with 84 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two picks, four pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.
Following the season, Dye would go on to be selected in the fourth round by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft.
In four years with the Vikings, Dye has been a core special teams player while maintaining a rotational role on defense. From 2020-2023, he’s accumulated eight total starts while playing in 60 total games. His career statistics currently sit at 80 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
On March 18, 2024, Dye signed a free agent contract to join the Chargers.
In his first year with the Bolts, Dye started five games out of 17 games played (tying a career high) and turned that into a career-high 57 tackles with two tackles or loss and 1.5 sacks. This past season, Dye started a new career-high seven games while filling in for the injured Denzel Perryman. He turned in 58 total tackles and five tackles for loss (both career highs) with a sack, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
The Good
Dye has been a very reliable backup for the Chargers which has been huge given the injuries that have hit the position in recent years. He’s also a contributor on special teams which truly raises his value to a higher level than most backups on the team.
Dye makes up for lack of ideal size with sideline-to-sideline athleticism that helps him stay around the football whenever he’s on the field.
The Bad
Dye has been at his best when coming off the bench. His play does not age well the more snaps he plays in a single game. Per Pro Football Focus, in the four games in which Dye graded at a 80.0 or higher, he played 14 or less snaps in three of them. In the one outlier, he played 38 snaps.
2026 Outlook
Dye is a lock to make the Chargers’ final roster, whether or not Junior Colson returns from injury 100 percent. With how much time Colson has missed in his first two seasons, Dye should be set squarely as the team’s third linebacker behind Daiyan Henley and Denzel Perryman.
