Dallas Cowboys announced that second-year DE Marshawn Kneeland has passed away
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The Dallas Cowboys woke up to devastating news on Thursday morning, as the team officially announced that second-year defensive end Marshawn Kneeland has tragically passed away at the age of 24.
A second-round pick out of Western Michigan, the Cowboys selected Kneeland with the 56th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after a stellar collegiate career with the Broncos.
Across his 5 seasons at Western Michigan from 2019-2023, Kneeland had 148 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks, and was viewed as one of the best pass rushers available coming out in the 2024 draft cycle.
After appearing in 11 games as a rookie in 2024, Kneeland was starting to see his role in the Cowboys’ defense increase in 2025, appearing in all 7 games for the team and making 3 starts.
His most recent appearance came this past Monday against the Arizona Cardinals, where he scored his first career touchdown on a blocked punt recovery during Monday Night Football.
The official cause of Kneeland’s passing has yet to be announced, but he is survived by his girlfriend Catalina, his mother Wendy, father Shawn, and the rest of his extended family.
