The Dallas Cowboys might have received their first bit of bad injury news this week. After what appears like a miraculous recovery for left guard Connor Williams, and a relatively-speaking clean bill of health for wideout Amari Cooper and safety Jeff Heath, the defense might be losing their man in the middle.
Middle linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who has struggled with injuries over the last few weeks, will be out of the Week 12 contest against the New England Patriots with a back issue, and possibly longer after getting an MRI done Thursday.
Leighton Vander Esch will not play Sunday at New England because of a neck injury that has flared up and required an MRI, according to sources. Vander Esch will be examined in a few weeks to see if the inflammarion has calmed down. Sean Lee will move to… https://t.co/1p4YtZt9Z1
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) November 22, 2019
Vander Esch has already missed one game this season, Week 9 following the Cowboys’ bye week. That came after exiting Week 7’s tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles playing just 22 snaps.
Vander Esch briefly left the Week 10 tilt against the Vikings, but still played 74 of 76 defensive snaps. He played 63 of 65 snaps in the win over the Detroit Lions this past Sunday, but the injury flared up Thursday.
Concerns have surfaced about Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch, who's already missed one game in 2019 to a neck injury. He underwent an MRI today for further evaluation following a flare-up. He is not expected to play Sunday vs. Patriots, sources said.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) November 21, 2019
He wasn’t even listed on Thursday’s injury report.
If Vander Esch misses the game, it will have a cascading impact on the Dallas linebacker rotation. Jaylon Smith would slide into the middle to replace him, and Sean Lee would take over as the primary Will backer.
Joe Thomas would come off the bench to play Sam, but he’s missed both practices this week with an illness and his status is unknown. Lee and Smith would be the nickel backers with Thomas spelling both at each position. Without Vander Esch and Thomas, that would likely lead to Justin March or Luke Gifford getting some snaps.
This isn’t the most ideal situation, as Vander Esch’s cover ability against crossing receivers and halfbacks is his strong suit, and perhaps Lee’s weakest during this point of his career.
The Patriots’ offense has struggled this year, but a loss like Vander Esch is at some levels a bit of a neutralizer.
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