WYOMING, MI – Marshawn Kneeland’s first NFL touchdown came in front of a national audience, as the West Michigan native and Dallas Cowboys’ defensive lineman scooped up a blocked punt in the end zone on Monday Night Football.
Trailing 10-0 with four minutes left in the second quarter, Dallas’ defense forced an Arizona Cardinals punt, and the Cowboys brought pressure, with Sam Williams blocking the kick and sending it 36 yards behind the line of scrimmage and into the end zone.
The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Kneeland outran everybody to the loose ball and pounced on it for his team’s first points and his first touchdown since his 2023 season at Western Michigan University, where he scored on a 1-yard rush in a 35-17 win over St. Francis.
Dallas went on to lose the game, 27-17, dropping the Cowboys to 3-5-1, which is good for second place in the NFC East behind Philadelphia (6-2).
In nine games as a reserve lineman this season, Kneeland has 12 tackles and a sack to go along with his defensive touchdown, after tallying 13 tackles, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery in 11 games as a rookie in 2024.
Kneeland was a second-round draft pick out of WMU and the first Bronco to be selected by the Cowboys in the NFL franchise’s history.
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As a senior in Kalamazoo, he led WMU in sacks (4.5), while tallying 57 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles, which earned him second team All-Mid-American Conference honors.
In five seasons with the Broncos, Kneeland collected 149 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and three forced fumbles across 38 games.
Prior to WMU, he was an all-state defensive end and tight end at Wyoming Godwin Heights, tallying 110 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a senior, to go along with 20 catches for 330 yards and five touchdowns on offense.
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