When Leighton Vander Esch went down to injury, the Cowboys lost more than a star player, they lost a key leader of the defense says @ReidDHanson.
Injuries are a painful inevitability of the NFL. The game is physical and unrelenting, and no team escapes unscathed. How teams deal with said injuries often decides which teams find postseason fortune and which teams do not.
The Cowboys have already had their fair share of injuries. Their offensive line has been a game of musical chairs, and their secondary suffered the worst loss imaginable when Trevon Diggs tore his ACL three weeks into the season.
In Sunday’s “Debacle at the Bay,” the Cowboys suffered another enormous loss to their defense when Leighton Vander Esch fell to a neck injury. The injury will land the 26-year-old on IR and stole from an already shallow Dallas LB corps.
What’s even worse is Vander Esch isn’t just the Cowboys’ top LB, but he’s also the leader of the defense and Dan Quinn’s signal caller. Marked with the green dot, Vander Esch makes the calls on the field, putting defenders in position and adjusting as necessary.
Who’s the backup defensive play-caller?
In the preseason we saw the rookie DeMarvion Overshown wear the green dot. It was a testament to his individual football intelligence and a sign there may not be an obvious replacement in the veteran ranks. But like Vander Esch, Overshown found himself on IR.
Next man up says the green dot will go to veteran safety, Jayron Kearse. Kearse is a leader on the team and one of Quinn’s smartest players. He’s in the midst of an off-year, getting called for some unforced critical penalties and falling short in making up for it with highlight plays. Maybe a bigger leadership role is what he needs to right the course.
“It’ll be tough to replace Leighton,” Kearse said. “He’s been coaching those young guys up. They look up to Leighton and Leighton has been a tremendous leader for us, helping us on the back end, helping the guys on the front.”
Vander Esch and Kearse play nearly the same number of snaps each week so it shouldn’t upset the rotations or personnel groups to push the job onto Kearse’s plate. The only question is whether he’s up to the task.
Vander Esch was Quinn’s mouthpiece on the field. Will Kearse be able to pick up right where Vander Esch left off?
There are plenty of reasons to think he will. Entering the final year of his contract, it’s important for Kearse to have a good showing this season. The Cowboys already recommitted to Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker at safety.
As discussed prior to the season, Kearse will likely be playing elsewhere in 2023. He could do a lot of good for his market value by turning his season around and being a leader on a defense that desperately needs some direction.
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