admin
The Dallas Cowboys have made certain they have highly pedigreed talent in their edge rusher rotation. When the team went to the well in the second-round of this year’s draft, once again, it was the continuation of a gold rush on the position across the last calendar year. And that year’s worth of acquisition was in line with the efforts over the last five years.
In 2021, the Cowboys selected all-world performer Micah Parsons in the first round, and followed that up by drafting Sam Williams in the seond round in 2022. In 2024, the team used another second-round pick on Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland, kicking off a year-long flurry of activity that brought in three former No. 1 picks and a new second rounder. And out of all of the additions, it’s perhaps Kneeland that will compliment Parsons the best in 2025.
Rundown
Position: Defensive End
Age: 23
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 268 pounds
Hometown: Wyoming, MI
High School: Weston (Houston)
College: Western Michigan (Highlight Video)
Draft: 2023 second-round pick No. 56
Acquired: 2024 Draft
Contract: Four-year deal (2024), $6.8 million includes signing bonus of $1.8 million
2025 Base Salary: $1.1 million (guaranteed) | $1.55 million cap hit
Career Earnings: $2.6 million (per Over The Cap)
Profile
Kneeland was drafted in the year-ahead vein, to replace DeMarcus Lawrence as the edge-setting starter opposite Parsons in the starting lineup. But even with Williams lost for the year with a torn ACL and Lawrence missing the final 13 games of the year, Kneeland didn’t make much of an impression. Logging just 23 snaps between Week 5 and Week 11, his own injury may have kept him from a strong rookie season.
Kneeland will be looking to improve on pedestrian stats. In 141 pass-rush snaps, he had 11 total pressures with four QB hits and seven hurries, but no sacks. He had two TFLs among his 14 tackles. However there were several bright spots. Several times when Kneeland received a large number of snaps, he made an impact. In the season opener he saw 44 snaps and have five pressures includng three hits on the QB. Against Tampa Bay he saw 31 snaps and had three presures.
With the change in leadership from Mike Zimmer to Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys front office was under no edict to rely in his continued development. Instead, they went out and grabbed free agents Dante Fowler, Solomon Thomas and Payton Turner and then drafted Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku. Hopefully by the time training camp is down there’s a clear pecking order of multiple contributors.
Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
#Marshawn #Kneeland
