Former Dallas Cowboys punter Kasey Redfern died Tuesday at age 35 after a prolonged fight against cancer, family members and local officials confirmed.

Redfern spent the spring and summer of 2019 on the Cowboys’ roster after signing in early April to provide depth behind longtime starter Chris Jones. He was released at the end of the preseason and never appeared in a regular-season game for Dallas.

The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office in South Carolina said it had been notified of Redfern’s passing, though further details on the circumstances were not released.

Redfern was diagnosed in the spring of 2023 with a cancerous brain tumor and central nervous system lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and related treatments for roughly three and a half years before his condition worsened this fall.

His wife, Lauryl, announced in late September that the family had decided to move toward hospice care after recent declines that included falls and memory issues.

“His poor brain has had all it can take treatment wise so we want to make sure that he can be as comfortable as possible,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

In a later statement, Lauryl said her husband “fought an incredible fight” and “shouldn’t have lived as long as he did.” She added that he “smiled the whole way through, never questioned why and always knew God had a purpose for this.”

Redfern entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Wofford College in 2014, when the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him. He later spent time with the San Diego Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons, primarily on practice squads or in offseason roles, before his brief Cowboys stint.

His only regular season game with the Lions came in the 2017 opener, when he punted once for 50 yards. A bobbled snap led him to scramble, and he suffered tears to his ACL and MCL plus a partial patellar tendon tear, which sent him to injured reserve.

Across four NFL games, Redfern recorded 10 punts for 421 yards, an average of 42.1 yards per attempt, and a long of 54 yards. Three of those punts were placed inside the 20-yard line.

He also registered one rushing attempt for 10 yards during that Lions debut and handled some kickoff duties during his time with the Falcons.

With the Cowboys, Redfern competed for a spot on a roster that already featured an established punter. His release before the regular season followed the typical path for many undrafted specialists trying to stick in training camp.

At Wofford from 2010 through 2013, Redfern handled both punting and place-kicking duties for the Terriers after starring at Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, North Carolina.

Born Sept. 26, 1991, Redfern was 35 when he died. He is survived by his wife, Lauryl, and their two young sons.

Former teammates and coaches have recalled him as a dedicated husband and father who approached both football and his illness with steady resolve.

His path through seven NFL organizations, including the Cowboys, illustrated the short, competitive windows available to undrafted specialists seeking a lasting roster spot.