The Dallas Cowboys saw a lot of DeMarcus Lawrence in Marshawn Kneeland when they decided to draft him in the second round, and the rookie could potentially end up replacing the four-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher.
Lawrence is entering a contract year with the Cowboys. His situation has not been as firmly in the spotlight as others, with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott getting the most headlines.
While his future is uncertain, Lawrence hasn’t shied away from being a mentor for younger players, including Kneeland. He admires how the rookie approaches the game and sees a high ceiling in his future.
“He has a lot of ambition, grit with his game,” Lawrence said on August 1. “His fundamentals are pretty clean, especially for a rookie. It’s a high ceiling for him. I’m going to keep working with him as much as I can. I definitely think he’s going to evolve into something even better than me.”
Lawrence is a solid piece for the Cowboys with 58.5 career sacks. However, he hasn’t had double-digit sacks since the 2018 season and just 10 combined over the last two seasons.
Marshawn Kneeland to Take on Significant Role for Cowboys
Kneeland played his college ball at Western Michigan and was selected in the second round (No. 56 overall). He had 148 tackles and 13 sacks during his college career.
“We’ve talked about it before, as hard as DLaw [DeMarcus Lawrence] played at Boise State, there are some similarities there. That is what we thought about him,” Cowboys VP of Player Personnel Will McClay said after selecting Kneeland.
As a rookie, Kneeland was expected to be in the mix for the Cowboys. However, he will be under more pressure following the injury to Sam Williams, who is out for the year after tearing his ACL in camp.
“We had big plans for [Williams]. He was going to play an awful lot, probably I’m guessing, 70-75 percent of the time,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. “We’ll just have to move some chess pieces around and try to figure out other ways to do things. … With us moving (Micah) Parsons around a little bit, (Williams) was going to be out there with Parsons and (DeMarcus Lawrence). Marshawn Kneeland has done a really nice job. He would’ve played anyway but I think he’s gonna end up having to play a lot now.”
So far, Kneeland has made the right kind of impact. He’s drawn praise from just about everyone, including head coach Mike McCarthy.
“Impressive. Very impressive. Very mature,” McCarthy said on July 28. “Love his physicality, motor, just like we did during the draft process. He’s off to a good start. He’s very comfortable, picks it up in the classroom. Outward personality, which is important. He’s off to a good start.”
Cowboys Signed Pair of Pass-Rushers
The Cowboys have worked to add to their depth following Williams’ injury, adding a few guys with NFL experience. The team is expected to sign Shaka Toney and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Toney was the Washington Commanders‘ seventh-round pick in 2021. He has 1.5 sacks and 16 tackles in 26 career games and can also contribute on special teams.
Muhammad has played for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts. He’s racked up 157 tackles and 12 sacks in 84 career games.
Luckily, the Cowboys have one of the most impactful pass-rushers in the league at their disposal in Micah Parsons.
“The loss of Sam was so huge. That’s really like my brother. It really hurts. Those times where I might get a break or a substitution, I might have to stay on for a couple more plays, depending on the situation,” Parsons said on Thursday, August 1. “It really ramps up with conditioning and what phase we have to be in for these games. It puts more on [DeMarcus Lawrence also. He’s an 11-year vet and there’s no more Dorance Armstrong or Dante Fowler … so he’ll step up, too.”
The Cowboys open up the regular season on September 8 against the Cleveland Browns.
