When Tyler Owens got the call from general manager Adam Peters he made the Washington Commanders' initial 53-man roster, he blacked out. While the undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech can't recall Peters' exact words, he does remember being called a dog on the field.

The safety's response to Peters' praise defines his attitude throughout training camp and preseason -- "cool."

Owens' level-headed demeanor throughout the process of being an undrafted player and fighting each day for relevance is directly correlated with his college experience. Being overlooked isn't new to Owens, which made it easier for him to tune out the outside noise and focus on proving himself to the coaches.

"It's been a lot like my college career, so it's nothing new to me," Owens said. "I always put my head down and keep working no matter what anybody says. I know what I'm capable of and I'm just going to prove that to everybody."

Throughout his five-year college career, Owens didn't necessarily stand out on paper. His 37 total tackles as a fifth-year senior heavily outweighed his four-year total of 32, however, he was still left off the 2024 NFL draft board.

Since signing with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent in April, Owens continued to make a strong case for himself with explosive play in the preseason. He recorded eight solo tackles across the three preseason games and proved his immense value, particularly on the special teams unit.

In a dominant Week 2 performance, Owens flashed his speed when he took down Dolphins running back Chris Brooks, who was on his way to a touchdown. Instead, however, Miami settled for a field goal and Owens kept the Commanders within striking distance. The pivotal play earned a nod from head coach Dan Quinn, who commended Owens play.

Instead of slowing down and soaking in the approval, however, Owens used Quinn's comments as fuel to keep pushing. While the praise from coaches and media alike lets Owens know he's on the right track, he doesn't let it deter his drive for success.

"I don't like to let those good words get under your skin because that's when you start to slack, so I just try to take that with a grain of salt," Owens said.

Owens' ability to maintain composure and never settle fits Quinn's redefinition of what it is to be a Washington Commander; he and tight end Colson Yankoff are the only two undrafted free agents to make the initial 53-man roster.

"I'd say both of them really have the propensity to absolutely go for it," Quinn said via a Zoom press conference on Tuesday. "You feel their intensity, you feel their speed when they play, both on special teams and on offense and defense respectively. At the end of it, when you're really trying to establish an identity that you've heard me use that word before, I think those examples come back up. The speed, the physicality, the effort, the straining, those are things that are Commander style plays and I thought those two really represented that."

The first person Owens called to share the good news with was his father, Ed.

"God is good. He blessed me with my ability, and I just came out here and tried to prove everybody wrong here," Owens said. "This has always been my dream so when I heard it, it was just good news."

With his dream finally realized, Owens joins the Commanders' club of undrafted free agents on the defense that includes safety Jeremy Reaves and linebacker Frankie Luvu. It's a group that has worked hard to prove themselves and wears the title of undrafted free agent as a badge of honor. Owens feels lucky to be a part of such a group and understands the privilege it is to play football at the highest level.

"Not a lot of people get it from the ground up," Owens said. "A lot of people have it easier, or have more opportunities, but I wear it proudly. I worked for it, and I get to do that."