The NFL woke up to heartbreaking news this morning: Marshawn Kneeland, promising defensive end of the Dallas Cowboys, has passed away at the age of 24. The Cowboys confirmed the tragedy in an official statement, offering condolences to his girlfriend Catalina, his family, and “everyone who loved him, on and off the field.” A rising career, a young life, and a future once filled with promise — all gone in an instant.

But this loss hits differently in San Francisco.

Kneeland was not just a Cowboy. He was almost a San Francisco 49er. According to team insiders, the 49ers front office had

serious discussions about drafting him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft before Dallas selected him at Pick 56. One NFC scout even called him “a younger Arik Armstead — long wingspan, high-IQ pass rusher, zero ego, all grit.” Today, that draft-room what-if feels heavier than ever inside the walls of Levi’s Stadium.

His death was confirmed late Wednesday night by agent Jonathan Perzley and later verified by Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. The cause:

a sudden stroke, believed to be the result of an overloaded in-season workload — cross-country flights, high-intensity snap counts, and shortened recovery cycles. One league medical voice described it bluntly:

“The body can be built like a machine — but it still has a breaking point.”

And what makes the loss nearly unbearable: just 24 days earlier, on Monday Night Football, Kneeland scored the first touchdown of his NFL career, returning a blocked punt to a roar of celebration. He told the media he planned to give the ball to his father. Now, that ball may be all his family has left.

The grief is spreading — Cowboys teammates, Western Michigan alumni, and yes, 49ers veterans who remember meeting him during their Top-30 pre-draft visit. One Niners defensive assistant posted:

“He was built for our standard — smart, physical, humble. He would’ve worn red and gold with pride.”

San Francisco is expected to honor him in Week 10 — a helmet decal, a sideline moment, something quiet, something respectful. A tribute not just to the player they almost drafted, but to the warning now echoing across the NFL:

Even the strongest bodies eventually break when the game never stops demanding more.

A rising star.
A moment of glory.
A future erased before it ever fully began.

And one question now hangs over every franchise — from Dallas to Santa Clara:

How many more young players will be pushed past human limits before football finally admits the cost?