FRISCO, Texas — With the release and eventual retirement of former first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch due to medical concerns, the need at linebacker became a major concern for the Dallas Cowboys going into the 2024 season. In using one of their third-round picks to select Marist Liufau, they believe they’ve added another talented answer to questions at the position.
The Butkus Award semifinalist joined his fellow Cowboys’ rookies in reporting to minicamp on Friday, and the surrealism of moving from Notre Dame to Dallas is quickly being replaced with the reality of the moment.
Liufau was one of the Official 30 visits for the Cowboys, and he says he felt then that this was where he was meant to be.
“One of the first things I got from my [Official 30] visit here is that it feels like a family,” he said following his first-ever NFL walkthrough. “It’s a family environment, and that’s one of the things I loved about this place. … To get the opportunity to come back is such a blessing for me.”
He joins a group of linebackers that now includes the veteran leadership of Eric Kendricks, a former All-Pro who pivoted away from an agreement with the San Francisco 49ers to sign on with the Cowboys in free agency.
