The Dallas Cowboys broke some heartbreaking and unexpected news about one of their veteran players. Leighton Vander Esch, a sixth-year linebacker and former first-round selection in 2018, has informed the team that he will not be making a return this season. Van Dyk
The Dallas Cowboys broke some heartbreaking and unexpected news about one of their veteran players.
Leighton Vander Esch, a sixth-year linebacker and former first-round selection in 2018, has informed the team that he will not be making a return this season.
LT Trent Williams blocked Vander Esch in the back during the second half of the 49ers’ lopsided loss, sending him flying head-first into a streaking Micah Parsons.
Due to his forward momentum and the force exerted by the back, Vander Esch fell forward at full speed, colliding with Parsons’ side with the crown of his helmet.
It would turn out to be the Boise State University product’s final snap of the 2023 campaign as he lay on the ground for a few minutes before getting up on his own.
The announcement that he will miss the entire season was merely a jab; the team’s subsequent admission that Vander Esch’s career might be finished was the right cross.
The team believed there was a good chance, but more testing is needed to ensure the diagnosis is not made too soon.
How Does This Affect LVE?
Given that he is only 27 years old and in the early stages of his career, this is undoubtedly devastating news for him.
It was undoubtedly not his intention to retire after just six seasons, much less to do so on his own terms when his injury prevented him from doing so.
Whether Vander Esch’s career can be deemed successful based on his draft stock is still up for debate.
Though they won’t acknowledge it, Vander Esch had an incredible rookie season that far exceeded both the fans’ and the team’s expectations.
He recorded 140 total tackles and two interceptions in his rookie season.
It seemed the Cowboys had found their future linebacker when he was named to the second team of the All-Pro and Pro Bowl that season.
His rerun campaign got off to a great start as well.
Vander Esch was on pace to match his rookie record with 72 tackles and 0.5 sacks through nine games prior to sustaining a neck injury.
Nevertheless, he would have spinal fusion surgery and miss the remainder of the 2019 campaign.
Vander Esch would never play to the levels he did before the surgery, but the procedure went well, and he was back for the final ten games of the 2019 campaign.
It seemed that his reaction time had decreased, and he was frequently reluctant to take on ball carriers.
Is it possible that he was thinking about getting hurt again? It’s up to you to ask him that.
The fact Vander Esch was on the verge of becoming the player he was before Dan Quinn arrived in Dallas only serves to compound the devastating nature of this news.
We might never be able to fully realize his potential now.
What Does This Mean For Dallas?
Regardless of perspective, it can be contended that even though Vander Esch did not perform at the caliber of a player selected for the first ballot of the Hall of Fame, the Cowboys still received their money’s worth.
Whether or not a player earns a second contract from the team is typically used as a barometer of success for teams when it comes to draft picks, particularly first-rounders.
In that sense, the lines are a little hazy because Dallas, despite not exercising his fifth-year option, brought him back as their starting linebacker on two separate one-year contracts.
Even though the Cowboys would prefer to miss Vander Esch’s presence on the field, they are not in a position to do so because the NFL is ultimately a business.
Moving forward is the only option, and Dallas seems to have made good preparations.
When they selected a linebacker in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, whom they had projected to be a first- or second-round talent, Jerry and Stephen Jones were ecstatic.
Ironically, LSU linebacker Damone Clark required surgery at the NFL Combine for a condition that closely resembled Vander Esch’s injury from the 2019 campaign.
Although it was initially anticipated that Clark would miss his entire rookie season, he surprised the coaching staff by making an impactful comeback to the lineup in Week 10.
Following Vander Esch’s injury, Clark thrived with a larger snap share, and after nine games, he leads the Cowboys in total tackles with 60.
Along with him, another unanticipated addition to the linebacker room represents the Cowboys’ future.
PFF.com lists Markquese Bell as one of the NFL’s highest-graded linebackers right now.
Dan Quinn enjoys using big safeties to cover smaller linebackers, and Bell has rewarded him well for it.
Bell is an excellent football player and has shown himself to be a reliable backup in Vander Esch’s absence.
In the latest draft, Dallas again targeted linebacker, choosing University of Texas LB DeMarvion Overshown in the third round.
Overshown was performing so well in training camp that he was assigned to be the defense’s play caller, indicated by the green dot on his helmet.
Very impressive for a novice.
Regretfully, Overshown tore his ACL during a preseason game; we won’t know for sure what to expect from him until 2024.
If this really is Leighton Vander Esch’s swan song, he will end his career with 71 games played, 469 tackles, 13 TFL, 3.5 sacks, and three interceptions.
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