Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died Thursday morning.
He was 24.
The Cowboys released a statement Thursday morning confirming Kneeland’s death.
“It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning,” the written statement said. “Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”
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Kneeland was the Cowboys’ second-round pick out of Western Michigan in the 2024 NFL draft.
In nearly two seasons, he played in 18 games with four starts, compiling 26 tackles and one sack.
In Kneeland’s last game, he recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for his first career touchdown in the Cowboys’ 27-17 loss Monday night to the Arizona Cardinals.
In his final year of college, Kneeland, who is from Grand Rapids, Mich., had a career-high 57 tackles with seven tackles for loss and four and a half sacks. He was named to the second team in the Mid-American Conference.
As Kneeland was preparing for the NFL draft, his mother, Wendy Kneeland, passed away suddenly.
“It was definitely tough,” Kneeland said after getting drafted. “I just managed it. She helped me a lot in my younger years getting into football. I always had the dream. I always told her, ‘I’m going to the NFL’ and I made it.”
Kneeland wore his mother’s ashes on a necklace after he was drafted.
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