The Dallas Cowboys defense has had its share of issues all season long. While it’s unfair to attribute the entirety of the decline to one player, missing linebacker Leighton Vander Esch since Week 11 certainly hasn’t helped matters.
The questions surrounding the severity of his neck injury has finally been answered, as he has been placed on injured reserve and will undergo what’s being called a “minor neck surgery.”
Jason Garrett confirms that Leighton Vander Esch is going on IR. He’ll have a minor surgery on his neck with a full recovery expected in the offseason.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) December 23, 2019
The concern moving forward is his recovery and long term prognosis, though ESPN’s Todd Archer is reporting that he’ll be available for the off-season program. Dallas fans and front office alike hand waved all injury concerns that were clearly present when Vander Esch was drafted in the first round at No. 19 overall. There were reports some teams had concerns with the health of the player, particularly in his neck. Here’s one of them from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
Some teams have flagged Vander Esch on neck but not all necessarily removed from draft board based on what I had gathered. https://t.co/yqZJflbq47
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) April 16, 2018
After Vander Esch’s incredible rookie season, it was shocking to see how the level of his play had fallen in his sophomore year. Despite only starting 11 games for the Cowboys in 2018, he still was on the field for 77% of all defensive snaps and another 44% of special teams duties. During that time he racked up 140 tackles to go along with two interceptions and seven passes defensed.
He was as good as they came and the sky seemed to be the limit for the Boise State product.
But in 2019, it was clear something was off. Plays he made with ease the year before suddenly seemed difficult, as his missed tackle rate went from 6.7% to 16.3%.
It’s unclear how truly minor his neck injury really is. Surgery seems to indicate that it’s worse than originally thought. Combine that with Dallas’s penchant for downplaying concerns regarding their players’ health, there’s serious concern that this could affect Vander Esch for the long term.
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