Cowboys’ Leighton Vander Esch Out for Season with Neck Injury, Jerry Jones Says

Cowboys’ Leighton Vander Esch is out for the season due to a neck injury. According to Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, said on Tuesday that linebacker Leighton Vander Esch will miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to a neck injury.

Jones broke the news on 105.3 The Fan (h/t Jon Machota of The Athletic) and added, “It’s a very significant loss for us.” We only wish him the best.”

Vander Esch was placed on injured reserve by the Cowboys last month after injuring his neck during Dallas’ 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. He has missed the last four games for Dallas. Vander Esch, 27, has a history of neck problems. He missed the team’s final six games of 2019.

Vander Esch, 27, has a history of neck problems. With a nerve ailment, he missed the team’s final six games in 2019 and the final three regular-season games in 2022.
Vander Esch’s newest neck injury, according to Jones, might be career-ending. “We just wish him well, and just the nature of his potential injury here causes me to really think longer term and beyond what it means for next week or beyond what it means for next month,” he said in an interview with ESPN’s Todd Archer. “It has everything to do with what’s best in his interest.”

Vander Esch was originally taken by Dallas with the 19th overall choice in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Boise State. When healthy, he has been a defensive leader for the Cowboys. Vander Esch piled up 140 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defensed as a rookie, earning him a Pro Bowl berth and second-team All-Pro honors. Vander Esch has not been named to another Pro Bowl since then, owing mostly to missed time in four of the last five seasons. Vander Esch played in all 17 games in 2021, although he missed seven games in 2019, six games in 2020, three games in 2022, and will miss 12 games by the end of the 2023 season. Vander Esch had likely his greatest season last year.

FRISCO, Texas — Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch’s season is over due to a neck harm, and his profession is likewise in query.

“We had just completely left it up to how he was evolving, however of path it is such a very massive loss for us,” proprietor and trendy supervisor Jerry Jones said on one zero five.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday. “he is an imperative a part of that defense available. We just want him nicely, and simply the nature of his capability injury right here reasons me to really assume long run and beyond what it way for subsequent week or beyond what it method for subsequent month. It has everything to do with what’s high-quality in his interest.”

Vander Esch, 27, turned into eligible to return off injured reserve this week upon getting harm Oct. 8 against the 49ers, but he still has lingering signs from that sport. He became injured on a play wherein he became pushed from in the back of into the right leg of Micah Parsons, jamming his neck.
Vander Esch has 35 tackles, 1 address for loss, 2 quarterback pressures and a fumble healing that he returned for a landing in 5 video games.

He has a history of neck problems, getting into the league in 2018 with issues earlier than the Cowboys took him in the first round out of Boise state. He led the Cowboys in tackles as a rookie and became named to the seasoned Bowl however neglected seven of the very last 9 games in 2019 because of a neck harm. He had a fusion process following that season and managed to play 41 of fifty one video games, lacking time with a damaged collarbone (2020), ankle (2020) and neck (2021) injuries. He neglected the very last four games final year with a stinger but came again to play in each playoff contests.

The Cowboys have moved Damone Clark to Vander Esch’s spot, with converted protection Markquese Bell seeing time in sub packages. In Sunday’s win towards the Giants, Rashaan Evans performed a season-high 28 snaps, and the Cowboys plan to feature him to the fifty three-guy roster after using all three of his practice squad elevations.

“It was absolutely part of the progression that we desired to position him on, so that was the plan going into this game,” educate Mike McCarthy stated Monday. “just the way the game went, it turned into suitable to get him extra reps than we probable thought he could get. That turned into excellent. The employees choice is absolutely in front of us. we’ve got a few decisions to make.”

The Buffalo payments suffered a irritating 24-22 domestic loss on Monday night at the palms of the Denver Broncos. bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs had a modest three catches for 34 yards inside the beautiful defeat. quickly after the game, Stefon’s brother Trevon, the Dallas Cowboys cornerback who is out for the season because of a knee injury, posted on social media in defense of Stefon whilst simultaneously taking a jab at Buffalo. Trevon’s put up on X got here simply after the bills’ deflating Week 10 loss. The bills had 4 high-priced turnovers in the sport, with quarterback Josh Allen ( interceptions, one lost fumble) the number one perpetrator of three of them. Allen now leads the NFL with 11 interceptions. “Shouldn’t had been in that role inside the first location,” Allen stated postgame. “quite a few bad soccer. a number of awful soccer.”

The loss dropped the protecting AFC East champion bills to five-5 at the season and second within the division behind the 6-three Miami Dolphins.

Trevon wasn’t performed firing off social media posts. less than 24 hours after the game, he took a direct shot at Allen.

“permit’s no longer overlook, he didn’t begin going off until bro were given there,” Trevon wrote in connection with Allen. The bills received Stefon in a exchange with the Minnesota Vikings in 2020. Allen turned into named a second-group All-seasoned in 2020 and he is had pro Bowl journeys since the wideout’s arrival.

but, old wounds resurfaced following Monday’s disappointing defeat.

Trevon’s put up on social media is simply the modern-day in an ongoing saga among Stefon and the payments. The payments extensive receiver became highly annoyed at some point of Buffalo’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. His frustrations boiled over to the offseason when he turned into absent all through a portion of the payments’ obligatory minicamp. His agitation this offseason reportedly stemmed from his role in the payments offense.

Monday’s loss to the Broncos surely isn’t going over nicely with the Diggs brothers. Trevon showed as plenty thru more than one social media posts.