The Dallas Cowboys have had no issues with taking players who are considered injury-risks across the other 31 NFL cities. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch certainly fit that bill, as several teams had him flagged heading into the 2018 draft. He claimed the neck brace was “more for comfort than necessity”, and after his stellar rookie campaign, all was well.
Smash cut to the 2019 season in which the second-year player only appeared in nine games. It began like all injuries in Dallas did under former head coach Jason Garrett, day-to-day. But the days quickly turned to weeks and then months, before finally ruling him out for the rest of the season. What caught people’s attention was when Garrett announced in late November that the team didn’t believe the injury was “career threatening.”
Via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, vice president Stephen Jones once again reiterated Vander Esch will be available, though in a limited fashion, during the offseason work.
Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch (neck) is expected to participate in spring workouts to some degree. VP Stephen Jones on exact schedule: "Once we see him, we'll have a better feel for it. But he'll have some limitations up until training camp before we really turn him loose."
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 24, 2020
That may put some people’s minds at ease, but until Vander Esch returns to both the fold and the form he showed in his first season, there’s going to be plenty of doubt surrounding the health of his neck. It doesn’t help when rumors begin to circulate, especially when they come from the likes of noted team insider Bryan Broaddus.
“I’ve been hearing some concerns about Leighton Vander Esch” @BryanBroaddus on @1053thefan
— Connor Livesay (@ConnorNFLDraft) February 24, 2020
The full audio of the discussion can be found just before the seven minute mark here in Hour 3 of 105.3 the Fan’s G-Bag Nation, but it’s notable that Broaddus said he did need to do more research on Vander Esch’s health.
As it stands, this is an unanswerable question. If the Cowboys draft a linebacker early in the draft, it will add fuel to this fire. If Vander Esch isn’t fully participating in training camp, it may be time to hit the panic button. Even then, the true answer won’t be known until well after the 2020 season ends.