Marshawn Kneeland

Marshawn Kneeland
No. 94
PositionDefensive end
Personal information
Born(2001-07-08)July 8, 2001
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
DiedNovember 6, 2025(2025-11-06) (aged 24)
Frisco, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight268 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High schoolGodwin Heights (Wyoming, Michigan)
CollegeWestern Michigan (2019–2023)
NFL draft2024: 2nd round, 56th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles26
Sacks1
Fumble recoveries1
Pass deflections1
Touchdowns1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Marshawn Kneeland (July 8, 2001 – November 6, 2025) was an American professional football defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played two seasons with the Cowboys until his death in 2025. Kneeland played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos, earning second-team Mid-American Conference (MAC) honors in 2023. He was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

During the 2025 season, Kneeland was involved in a police pursuit and was found dead from a gunshot wound hours later. His death was ruled a suicide.

Early life

Marshawn Kneeland was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 8, 2001.[1][2] He attended Godwin Heights High School in Wyoming, Michigan.[3] He played linebacker and tight end in high school.[4] As a senior, he had 110 tackles and eight sacks on defense and 20 receptions for 330 yards and five touchdowns on offense. He committed to Western Michigan University to play college football.[5]

College career

Kneeland played for the Broncos at Western Michigan University from 2019 to 2023.[6][7][8] He was a second-team All-MAC selection in 2023.[9] During his career, he had 149 tackles and 12.5 sacks. He recorded three pass deflections and three forced fumbles.[10] Despite not being heavily recruited out of high school, Kneeland became a desirable prospect for the NFL and he received an invitation to NFL Scouting Combine.[11]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)		267 lb
(121 kg)		34+1⁄2 in
(0.88 m)		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		6 ft 11+3⁄8 in
(2.12 m)		4.75 s1.66 s2.77 s4.18 s7.02 s35.5 in
(0.90 m)		9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		21 reps
All values from NFL Combine[12][13]

Kneeland was selected 56th overall in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

2024 season

In his rookie season, he appeared in 11 games with one start, recording 17 tackles (2 for loss), 13 quarterback pressures, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery.[14] He made his debut against the Cleveland Browns on September 8.[10] He made his first career start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 6, collecting 2 tackles before leaving the game with a right knee injury, which occurred while he was attempting to sack quarterback Justin Fields.[15] The injury required arthroscopic surgery and forced him to spend 5 weeks on injured reserve.[16]

2025 season

Following the departure of DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency, he was as a primary rotational player behind Dante Fowler. During training camp, Kneeland was viewed as a possible breakout player on the Cowboys in 2025,[16] intercepting quarterback Dak Prescott in a clip shared on Twitter, among other impact plays.[17] In early October, Kneeland was added to the injury report with an ankle injury he suffered during practice,[18] and later aggravated it in the Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers. In Week 9, three days before his death, Kneeland scored his only NFL touchdown, after recovering a blocked punt in the end zone against the Arizona Cardinals.[19] He appeared in 7 games (missed 2 with an ankle injury), posting 12 tackles, one sack, and 3 quarterback pressures.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckSftyPDIntYdsAvgLngTDFFFRTD
2024DAL 11114950.001000.000010
2025DAL 7312661.000000.000000
Career1842615111.001000.000010

Personal life and death

Kneeland's mother died unexpectedly of an undisclosed illness in February 2024, two months before he was drafted by the Cowboys. He carried her ashes with him at all times in a necklace.[20] New England Patriots defensive back Mike Brown is Kneeland's cousin.[21]

Kneeland lived in Plano, Texas.[22] He died in Frisco, Texas, on November 6, 2025, at age 24, during his second season in the NFL.[23][24] On the same date, the Texas Department of Public Safety reported that Kneeland had been involved in a 160 mph (257 km/h) police pursuit the previous night after failing to stop for a traffic violation. Officers ended the chase after losing sight of his vehicle.[25] His girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, later told police that he was armed, had a history of mental illness, and would "end it all". According to police, they responded to a "welfare concern" at Kneeland's apartment complex, but no one was home.[26] His vehicle was later found abandoned after a crash. Police said he was discovered dead nearby "from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound."[25] Local authorities ruled his death a suicide.[27][28]

Following his death, the Cowboys released a statement describing him as a "beloved teammate" and offering thoughts and prayers to his family.[29] It was also revealed that Catalina Mancera was pregnant with the couple's only child.[30] In June 2026, Mancera announced on Instagram that she had given birth to their son.[31] The following July, the Concussion and CTE Foundation announced that Kneeland had stage one chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), based on post‑mortem brain tissue analysis.[32]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Western Michigan player Marshawn Kneeland selected by Dallas Cowboys - CBS Detroit". CBS News. April 27, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Marshawn Kneeland Biography". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Godwin Heights standout earns Player of the Week 7". MassLive.com. October 11, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Godwin Heights senior Marshawn Kneeland a dominant force at linebacker, tight end". MassLive.com. October 1, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  5. ↑ Kaminski, Steve (January 27, 2019). "Godwin Heights lineman Marshawn Kneeland announces college choice via video". MLive. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  6. ↑ Nothaft, Patrick (December 22, 2022). "Ex-WMU lineman Marshawn Kneeland joins Colorado, Coach Prime via transfer portal". MLive. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  7. ↑ Giannakopoulos, Alec (July 20, 2023). "Broncos' Marshawn Kneeland to stay in Kalamazoo". WOODTV.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  8. ↑ Skol, Mark (September 5, 2023). "Godwin Heights grad Marshawn Kneeland grateful to stay at Western Michigan after hitting the transfer portal". WZZM 13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ "Marshawn Kneeland". wmubroncos.com. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  10. 1 2 "2025 Dallas Cowboys Media Guide" (PDF). Dallas Cowboys. 2025. p. 111. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  11. ↑ Beaton, Andrew (November 7, 2025). "Cowboys' Marshawn Kneeland Dies in Apparent Suicide at 24". The Wall Street Journal. p. A12.
  12. ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Marshawn Kneeland Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  13. ↑ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Marshawn Kneeland College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Marshawn Kneeland 2024 Advanced Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  15. ↑ Archer, Todd (October 7, 2024). "Source: Cowboys' Marshawn Kneeland avoids season-ending injury". ESPN. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  16. 1 2 "Cowboys' Marshawn Kneeland: Taking advantage of opportunity". CBS Sports. Rotowire. August 6, 2025. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  17. ↑ Reed, Tyler (July 22, 2025). "Marshawn Kneeland steals show in Cowboys' first training camp practice". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  18. ↑ Williams, Charean (October 2, 2025). "Cowboys add DE Marshawn Kneeland to their injury report". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  19. ↑ Nothaft, Patrick (November 3, 2025). "West Michigan native, Cowboys DL scores first NFL touchdown on Monday Night Football". mlive. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  20. ↑ Watkins, Calvin (June 30, 2024). "Marshawn Kneeland's late mom dreamed he'd make the NFL. Now a Cowboy, he honors her memory". Dallas News. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  21. ↑ Suss, Nick. "Calvin Ridley injury update: See latest on Jeffery Simmons, Titans vs Texans inactives". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  22. ↑ Dotson, Kevin (November 6, 2025). "Dallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland has died at age 24". CNN. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Cowboys return from bye week with heavy hearts, begin healing after Marshawn Kneeland's death - CBS Texas". www.cbsnews.com. November 10, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Cowboys return from bye mourning death of Marshawn Kneeland". Reuters. November 10, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  25. 1 2 Keane, Isabel (November 6, 2025). "Dallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland has died at age 24". The Independent. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  26. ↑ Watkins, Calvin; Landers, Jamie; Jorgensen, Elissa (November 6, 2025). "Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland dies by suicide after police chase". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  27. ↑ Schuyler, Dixon; Lozano, Juan A. (November 6, 2025). "Cowboys' Marshawn Kneeland found dead of apparent suicide at 24 after evading officers, police say". AP News. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  28. ↑ Tasch, Justin (November 6, 2025). "Marshawn Kneeland's cause of death ruled a suicide after police chase". New York Post. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  29. ↑ Eatman, Nick (November 6, 2025). "Marshawn Kneeland Passes Away at Age 24". Dallas Cowboys. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  30. ↑ Sacks, Hannah (November 12, 2025). "Dallas Cowboys Player Marshawn Kneeland's Girlfriend Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby After His Death at 24". People. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  32. ↑ Caruso, Skyler; Mazziotta, Julie (July 7, 2026). "Marshawn Kneeland's Cause of Death Revealed, Dallas Cowboys Player Was 24". People. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
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