The man who runs it all in Dallas has confirmed that a key piece of his defensive arsenal will be shelved for the remainder of the 2023 season. And he had a less than encouraging outlook on whether he’ll ever be on the field again.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took to the airwaves Tuesday and addressed reports that linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, currently on injured reserve with a neck injury suffered in Week 5, might not return in 2023 as originally hoped.
“I would say that’s accurate,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan’s Shan & RJ in reference to a Dallas Morning News report that the sixth-year veteran is done for the year. “We had just completely left it up to how he was evolving.”
Vander Esch, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2018, has dealt with neck issues in the past, dating back to his college days at Boise State. He missed a big chunk of the 2019 season before undergoing surgery in hopes of correcting the issue, a condition called cervical spinal stenosis. He was sidelined again for four games last year after sustaining a neck stinger.
After playing in first five games of this season, he was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 16. While the initial prognosis was that he would miss four to six weeks, his injury history was always lurking in the background of those hopes.
“Of course, it’s just a very significant loss for us,” Jones said. “He’s an integral part of that defense out there. We just wish him well.”
The Cowboys defense has played well in Vander Esch’s absence and seen marked improvement from Damone Clark in a replacement role and from Markquese Bell, a converted safety. But Dallas also signed free agent linebacker Rashaan Evans just last month with an eye toward putting him on the active roster. He has been elevated from the practice squad three times and made his first start in week 10 versus the Giants.
The bigger question, however, is Vander Esch’s future. The spinal fusion procedure he underwent in 2020 came with the knowledge that another neck surgery might jeopardize the 27-year-old’s football career.
Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports that “there’s a belief now that surgery may be required,” although “no decision has been made.”
Vander Esch is expected to receive more medical advice this week, but Jones spoke to the obvious seriousness of the situation.
“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 relative to the team,” the owner explained. “It has everything to do with what’s in his best interest.”
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The Pro-Bowl linebacker has been a fan favorite since joining the team, prompting crowds at AT&T Stadium to erupt in loud howls anytime “The Wolf Hunter” makes a play. And he’s made plenty. Vander Esch has been in on 469 tackles, 13 TFLs, five quarterback hits, and 3.5 sacks over 71 games as a Cowboy. He returned a fumble for a touchdown in Week 4 versus New England, the first score of his career.
A week later, he had to exit the 49ers loss early after colliding with Micah Parsons on a play.
Jones had a sobering answer when asked Tuesday if that might have been Vander Esch’s swan song.
“I don’t know, and there are a lot of factors involved. But he just really needs to see how this continues to heal and then go from that point as to whether or not he would want to continue to expose himself to injury.”
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