Marist Liufau on playing with Cowboys: 'It feels like I belong here'

The Dallas Cowboys added some major juice to the linebackers room this offseason when they drafted former Notre Dame star Marist Liufau. The third-round pick is feeling right at home at the Star as he heads into his first NFL preseason.

“It feels like it’s home now,” Liufau told reporters at rookie minicamp. “It feels like I’m part of this place and I have a connection to this place. Feels like I belong here… One of the first things I got from my visit here was that it feels like a family.”

The Cowboys snagged Liufau with the No. 87 overall pick in the third round of the draft. He’s coming off of one of his best seasons for the Fighting Irish. In 12 games, he logged 44 tackles (23 solo), 6 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. He also had 2 pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Like most rookie defenders, Liufau knows his key to seeing the field early is to make an impact on special teams. His motto is that service to the team comes first, which will serve him well in Mike Zimmer’s defense.

Liufau may not be asked to start or even contribute consistently in his first year, but regardless, he’s ready to learn from some seasoned vets like free agent addition Eric Kendricks this summer.

“(Kendricks) has been in the game so long and played at such a high level, as a young guy, you want to get as much knowledge from him as you can and learn from him, kind of be under his wing,” Liufau said. “I’m excited to learn from everyone about how to be an NFL player and how to be a successful linebacker in this league.”

Eric Kendricks ready to mentor young linebackers

The Cowboys signed very few free agents this offseason, but among the group is potential starting middle linebacker Eric Kendricks. Despite receiving the opportunity to go to the 49ers and stay in California, where he was in 2023 with the Chargers, Kendricks opted to pack his bags and head to Texas on a one-year deal for $3 million.

When asked why he chose the Cowboys over their NFC rivals, the veteran noted that his role likely comes with more playing time and more responsibility in Dallas than in San Francisco.

“I think I would’ve taken more of a reserved role (in San Francisco), where as I feel I have a lot left to give and I wanted to be here and be middle linebacker,” Kendricks said, via Jon Machota. “I wanted to share my experience with the team, share my leadership abilities and command that huddle.”

Kendricks was a central figure of the Minnesota Vikings defense during new Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s time as head coach. It’s not surprising that Zimmer wanted to reunite with the veteran given his availability this cycle and Dallas’ need for linebackers. After losing leader Leighton Vander Esch this offseason due to medical retirement, the Cowboys have a spot open for the former Bruin to step up and mentor the younger defenders.