FRISCO, Texas – While the Cowboys were once hopeful that Leighton Vander Esch could return from the reserve/injured list and play this season, it appears his season is already over.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones confirmed multiple reports suggesting Vander Esch would not be able to return this year due to another neck injury he suffered in the Oct. 8 game at San Francisco.
“I would say that’s accurate,” Jones said on 105.3 ‘The Fan’ Tuesday morning. “We had completely left it up to how he was developing. But it is a very significant loss for us. He is an integral part of that defense. But we only wish him the best. The nature of his possible injury here makes me really think about more time and beyond what it means for next week or next month, in relation to the team. It has everything to do with their best interest.”
Given Jones’ comments, combined with Vander Esch’s injury history in his neck — he’s already had one surgery and could be considering another — it’s fair to wonder if the linebacker will be able to return to play next year, or at all.
“Let’s put it this way, I don’t know and there are a lot of factors involved,” Jones said. “You just need to see how this continues to heal and then from that point decide whether or not you want to expose yourself to an injury.”
Vander Esch had neck problems in college at Boise State, where he missed half of the 2016 season with a pinched nerve in his neck, but was still drafted in the first round by the Cowboys in 2018.
Vander Esch made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, but injuries began to arise after that, forcing him to miss seven games in 2019 and six more in 2020, the year he underwent neck surgery to help fix nerve problems.
Vander Esch missed just four games total over the previous two years and was having a solid season in 2023 before the injury in San Francisco.
In his absence, the Cowboys used a variety of different packages to help replace him, including safety Markquese Bell, newly signed veteran Rashad Evans and even Micah Parsons has received snaps at linebacker in recent weeks.
2023-11-14 15:23:54
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