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FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys coaches and players took another significant step in their grieving process following 24-year-old edge rusher Marshawn Kneeland's Nov. 6 death by a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Thursday: returning to practice as a team. 

However, the emotions are still raw. Dallas wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, a 2024 sixth-round pick who entered the league with Kneeland being the second round pick of their draft class, was shocked when he first saw the news. The two draft classmates became incredibly close with Flournoy as he and his wife Kalei went on double dates with Kneeland and his girlfriend Catalina Mancera.

"It was shocking, honestly. The bye week everybody [at] home just waking up and hearing that news is shocking, honestly. A lot of y'all know me and Marshawn came in together as rookies. So my wife and his girl became close. We went on double dates," Flournoy said on Thursday. "I'm just thinking 'man,[all the] times we went on double dates, I just wish I would have told him you got to wait on God no matter how hard life gets. Just turn to God because I'm a witness.' I've read it in the Bible, and I've witnessed it in [my] life. May he rest in peace. All I could do is just pray for him for sure."

Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa spent the last two seasons with Kneeland every single day in the defensive line position room for meetings and as a unit in practice the last two years. Odighizuwa and fellow defensive tackle Solomon Thomas were the two Dallas teammates who spoke at the candlelight vigil the team held at The Ford Center, Dallas' indoor practice facility, on Tuesday night. He's also still processing "a wave of shock" having to talk about the death of his "little bro."

"It was definitely just shocking. It was like being hit with a wave of shock and then just heaviness in my heart. Back to the shock, and being like 'damn,'" Odighizuwa said on Thursday. "It meant a lot to have the honor of speaking on his behalf at the vigil. That was my little bro. I love Marshawn. Being able to do that, it was tough, but it was definitely an honor."

Odighizuwa, a fifth-year veteran who re-signed with the Cowboys on a four-year, $80 million contract extension this past offseason, grew tight with Kneeland after the 24-year-old showcased an admirable work ethic and drive to hone his craft. 

"I just always encouraged Marshawn like I do with all the rookies. I feel like he was someone that was receptive to stuff like that. In terms of knowing the playbook and stuff like that, that was something that stuck out to me. When he came in and was being a sponge, wanting to learn, 'What do you do for your body?'... 'What do you do in the offseason? Is there anything that helps you a little extra?' Just trying to find out stuff like that," Odighizuwa said. "Slowly, but surely, he would open up to me a little bit. One of his people after the vigil told me how secluded he is, doesn't say too much, very private guy. If he opened up to you, it means he loved you."

Dealing with Kneeland's death is especially shocking considering the 24-year-old scored the first touchdown of his career in the Cowboys' last game played with a fumble return touchdown off of a blocked punt against the Arizona Cardinals. Flournoy was on the field with him, recalling how shocking it was to see Kneeland beat players like himself, who play wide receiver, to the football in that moment. 

"It's crazy. You could be high off life, and you just scored a NFL touchdown, which a lot of people don't do, and then be gone a couple days later," Flournoy said. "I remember him scoring. I remember the play. Me and [edge rusher] Sam [Williams] got back there. Sam blocked the punt, and I remember racing to the ball. I'm seeing Marshawn running like a 4.2 [40-yard dash], I'm like 'dang.' He beat me to the ball and got the touchdown. We [were] all cheering because as special teams [players] we need that. Special teams and special players, and  he was a special player. It was just cool to see him get that moment. It's sad to see him go."

Dallas returns to practice, honoring Kneeland with how the Cowboys play

Despite the Cowboys organization still mourning the loss of Kneeland, Dallas has to return to play and prepare for their Week 11 matchup at the Las Vegas Raiders on "Monday Night Football." Thursday marked the first return to practice for the team as a whole.

"We had good energy this morning in the meetings. The meetings were very productive, and like I said yesterday, we're ready to get this week under way and put our best foot forward and get ready to honor Marshawn," Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday.

The two Cowboys who have lost siblings to suicide, quarterback Dak Prescott (his brother Jace in 2020) and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas (his sister Ella in 2018) have been crucial in helping their teammates process through their grief. One of Thomas' main messages to his teammates has been that it's OK to not feel normal because dealing with this type of loss isn't normal. One of Prescott's main themes he's shared with teammates has been how key it is to express feelings and not go through the grieving process alone. The Cowboys quarterback also said going through this with his teammates is driving him to invest more personally into relationships with teammates to make sure they all become more than a jersey number. 

"Obviously me and Solly have been through this, but I'll be the first to say, I may be the champion of speaking up but I'm not necessarily the champion of dealing with grief, I guess you can say. I can say I'm a champion of moving forward and past it and using it as your source of strength," Prescott said on Thursday. ... "I get angry a lot. The best way is when I get angry or I get sad in those moments, I think about 'how can I counteract that?' Usually, it's 'how can I make somebody smile or how can I do something better?' So just little things like that have been helpful. I know they've been helpful to me. ... I've taken a lot from those conversations from O2X, from Doctor T [team psychologist Dr. Heather Twedel], from the professionals and have brought them into smaller conversations as we've had breakouts or just hot tub talk or conversations at lunch. It's just the more we can talk, the more we can connect, that's the only good in this honestly at this moment. Reminds us how important it is to not just know these jersey numbers, but to know the family and to know things beyond this building."   

The sentiment that returning to practice on Thursday was helpful was unanimous around the Cowboys locker room, and there was a feeling that the practice was quite productive. 

"It was great. Schotty alluded to that. He said it earlier in the week, 'some guys are going to get out on the field, and it's going to hurt. Some guys are going to get out there, and it's going to be the best medicine for them.' Having dealt with loss, that is the best medicine for me," Prescott said. "So getting back out there, handing the ball off and sprinting an extra 10 yards and making sure I'm doing it hard, Marshawn went through my mind a few times at practice today. I just countered that with running harder after a play, or trying to do something to better this team to show that. It felt good. I know it was a great practice. A lot of guys were out there, good energy, beautiful weather. As I said, we're not forgetting, but we're moving forward carrying on the light."

Odighizuwa concurred, finding some solace in the normalcy that practice brings. 

"Helpful for me personally. I feel like, one, I'm kind of a busy body, so being able to move around helps get some sort of normalcy back," Odighizuwa said. 

Now, Dallas will do everything they can to honor Kneeland through the play on the field on top of the efforts made through putting on a helmet decal, wearing shirts pregame and donating to the Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund to support Mancera and her unborn child with Kneeland. 

"That grieving process is not over. There's going to be things that affect us differently throughout the next couple weeks, but we understand our best way to honor Marshawn on the field is how we play," Schottenheimer said. "That's something we get to control, and I think the guys are excited about that."

So what does playing for Kneeland look like? Being relentless. 

"Relentless. Marshawn did everything 110%. That's on and off the field," Odighizuwa said. "With the people that he loved, the emotions that he felt, and that translates to the way he played. Everything was 110%."

Prescott recalled Kneeland routinely making Schottenheimer's highlight reels of players hustling during offseason program practices, so that's the type of hustle Dallas will be looking to emulate. 

"Nobody chased the ball like Marshawn. You turn on practice film, game film, whatever it may be. I know going back to the spring Schotty would show clips of guys running to the ball at OTAs, and Marshawn always made that list," Prescott said. "I think it's evident right there. I think that showed his love for the game, showed his love for his teammates and that this meant. At any position I think that's an easy way to do it right there. ... Chasing the ball down just as Marshawn would."

Playing that way more consistently could perhaps incrementally elevate Dallas' 31st-ranked scoring defense that is allowing 30.8 points per game, the third-most through nine games of a season in Cowboys history. 

"If we all play like Marshawn, we'll play like a better team. I'm not saying Marshawn was a perfect player, but that way he would go out there and play is the way football is supposed to be played. ... No matter how tired he was, he would play with intensity and tenacity," defensive tackle Solomon Thomas said Thursday. ... "He played with love. He played every play like it was his last and didn't take reps for granted. What I learned is he came from a small town in Michigan and he wasn't supposed to be here. So he played like he wanted to be here every single day. If we do that, we'll honor him -- win, loss or draw -- if we play like Marshawn. We'll be a better team. We'll come out of this better."