The Cowboys have made a stunning announcement. Marshawn Kneeland, a defensive finish the crew drafted in final 12 months’s second spherical, died Thursday morning. He was 24.
“It’s with excessive unhappiness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically handed away this morning,” the Cowboys mentioned in a press release, via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. “Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our group. Our ideas and prayers concerning Marshawn are together with his girlfriend Catalina and his household.”
Arriving because the No. 56 general pick of Western Michigan final 12 months, Kneeland made 4 NFL begins. His tragic demise comes lower than three days after he scored his first NFL landing when he returned a blocked punt for a score against the Cardinals on Monday evening in Dallas. After Sam Williams notched the second-quarter block, Kneeland pounced on the restoration for a rating. It marked Kneeland’s first landing within the faculty or skilled ranks.
A quick-rising prospect from the MAC program, Kneeland memorably set up 16 predraft visits last year. The traits he confirmed throughout a five-year faculty profession intrigued loads of groups regardless of the cross rusher coming into the NFL with less-than-stellar faculty numbers. Kneeland didn’t have a five-sack faculty season, however he recorded 25 tackles for loss over his last three. A Cowboys crew that on the time was searching for Micah Parsons complementary rush expertise swooped in, including the rookie on Day 2.
Kneeland missed a piece of his rookie season resulting from {a partially} torn lateral meniscus sustained in early October of final 12 months, however he made it again earlier than season’s finish. The Cowboys saved an IR activation for the rookie, who returned for the crew’s Thanksgiving recreation. Kneeland performed in 11 video games final season, making one begin for a crew that misplaced DeMarcus Lawrence to harm early within the season. Kneeland made three begins this season.
Kneeland didn’t file a sack as a rookie however notched one this season, dropping Jalen Hurts within the Cowboys’ opener. The part-time starter, who was considered as a part of the Cowboys’ answer post-Parsons, tallied three tackles for loss in his second season.
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