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. He attended Godwin Heights High School in Wyoming, Michigan. He played linebacker and tight end in high school. 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.

College career Kneeland played for the Broncos at Western Michigan University from 2019 to 2023. He was a second-team All-MAC selection in 2023. During his career, he had 149 tackles and 12.5 sacks. He recorded three pass deflections and three forced fumbles. 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.

Professional career

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. He made his debut against the Cleveland Browns on September 8. 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. The injury required arthroscopic surgery and forced him to spend 5 weeks on injured reserve.

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, intercepting quarterback Dak Prescott in a clip shared on Twitter, among other impact plays. In early October, Kneeland was added to the injury report with an ankle injury he suffered during practice, 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. 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 GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR TD 2024 DAL 11 1 14 9 5 0.0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 2025 DAL 7 3 12 6 6 1.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 Career 18 4 26 15 11 1.0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0

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. New England Patriots defensive back Mike Brown is Kneeland's cousin.

Kneeland lived in Plano, Texas. He died in Frisco, Texas, on November 6, 2025, at age 24, during his second season in the NFL. On the same date, the Texas Department of Public Safety reported that Kneeland had been involved in a police pursuit the previous night after failing to stop for a traffic violation. Officers ended the chase after losing sight of his vehicle. 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. 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." Local authorities ruled his death a suicide.

Following his death, the Cowboys released a statement describing him as a "beloved teammate" and offering thoughts and prayers to his family. It was also revealed that Catalina Mancera was pregnant with the couple's only child. In June 2026, Mancera announced on Instagram that she had given birth to their son. 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.

See also List of gridiron football players who died during their careers

References

External links Dallas Cowboys bio Western Michigan Broncos bio Marshawn Kneeland at Instagram