Week 10, 2025 is not just a typical bye week for the Dallas Cowboys. The once promising season has unfolded in spectacularly disappointing fashion, with the 3-5-1 Cowboys longshots to sniff the postseason. As the worst defense in the NFL threatens to waste Dak Prescott’s window of opportunity, Dallas pulled off a massive trade sending a pair of picks and a player to the New York Jets in exchange for an elite defense tackle the team can build around.
For as massive as all of these things are for the Cowboys, they all pale in comparison to tragedy that was the sudden passing of second year player Marshawn Kneeland. The 24-year-old was lost to suicide earlier in the week, creating new wounds and opening old ones in and around the team. The Cowboys’ on-field challenges and opportunities, combined with their off-field hurt and humanity, make the 2025 bye week their most important week to date.
Managing the pain involved from the loss of Kneeland with the unavoidable excitement of adding Quinnen Williams is more than just an awkward juggling act, it’s an impossible compromise.
Next steps are different for every person and with the clock ticking, there’s no time to lose. The only thing everyone can agree on is that the people are more important than the game. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess as to how they move forward productively.
While some may still hold out hope that the Cowboys can somehow climb into the postseason and become viable contenders in the process, most of the focus is on recovery and rebuilding. The Cowboys defense, as a whole, is a disaster. One or two plyers can’t fix it because it needs an entire culture change, scheme change, and attitude change to get fixed. Those steps have to begin now if the Cowboys want to have any hope for next season.
And these Cowboys have to simultaneously stay committed to the cause and heal from the loss of a teammate. The good news is they’re together for all of this and with Dak Prescott and Solomon Thomas on the roster, there’s no better teammates to have in the face of tragedy.
Prescott and Thomas aren’t just high-performing players on their respective sides of the ball, but they’ve both suffered the loss of siblings by way of suicide. Prescott’s foundation and Thomas’ foundation are resources for everyone, as are the men themselves.
The Cowboys are well equipped to get through this, but make no mistake this will be their most challenging week of the season.
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