The Dallas Cowboys announced some shocking and saddening news regarding one of their long-time players.
The team confirmed that sixth-year linebacker and former 2018 first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch will not return this season.
Vander Esch was injured in the second half of the blowout loss at the San Francisco 49ers when a block in the back by LT Trent Williams sent him flying head-first into a streaking Micah Parsons.
Here is a video of the play:
His momentum in that direction plus the push from the back caused Vander Esch to fall forward at full speed, and hit the crown of his helmet into Parsons’ side.
The Boise State University product lay on the turf for several minutes before walking off under his own power, but it would end up being his last snap of the 2023 season.
The news that he is out for the season was just the jab, and the right cross came afterwards when the team revealed Vander Esch’s career very well could be over.
There is still further evaluation to be done so that diagnosis is premature, but the team felt it was a strong possibility.
What Does This Mean For LVE?
Obviously, this is devastating news for him, as he is only 27 years old, and very young in his career.
Surely retiring after only six seasons was not in his plans, and especially being forced to leave due to injury instead of on his own terms.
The jury is still out on whether or not Vander Esch’s career can be considered a success based on his draft stock.
Vander Esch had a stellar rookie season beyond the expectations of the fans, and even though they won’t admit it, likely beyond the team’s expectations as well.
As a rookie, he compiled 140 total tackles and two interceptions.
That season earned him 2nd team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, and it appeared the Cowboys had found their linebacker of the future.
His sophomore campaign started out strong, as well.
Through nine games before suffering a neck injury, Vander Esch had 72 tackles and 0.5 sacks, on pace to come close to his accomplishments as a rookie.
However, he would miss the rest of the 2019 season and undergo spinal fusion surgery.
The surgery was successful, and he returned for the final 10 games of 2019 season, but Vander Esch would never again play to the levels he reached prior to that surgery.
It appeared he didn’t react with the same speed and ferocity as before, and was often hesitant to take on ball carriers.
Could fear of further injury have been on his mind? You’ll have to ask him that yourself.
What makes this news more devastating is the fact that Vander Esch had come close to becoming the player he was before Dan Quinn got to Dallas.
Now we may never know what his full potential could have been.
What Does This Mean For Dallas?
No matter which way you slice it, one can argue that the Cowboys got their full return on investment despite Vander Esch not playing to the level of a first ballot Hall of Fame player.
The general mark of success for teams regarding draft picks, especially first-rounders, is whether or not the player receives a second contract from the team.
The line is somewhat blurred in that regard, as Dallas did not exercise his fifth-year option, but did bring him back on consecutive one-year deals to be their top linebacker.
It may sound harsh, but at the end of the day the NFL is a business, and as much as the Cowboys may want to miss Vander Esch’s presence on the field, they don’t have the luxury to do so.
The only option is to move forward, and Dallas appears to have planned well.
Jerry and Stephen Jones were ecstatic during the 2022 NFL Draft when they took a linebacker in the fifth round that they had graded as a first or second-round talent.
It’s ironic, but the training staff at the NFL Combine discovered that LSU LB Damone Clark needed surgery for an injury very similar to what Vander Esch suffered during the 2019 season.
Originally expected to miss his entire rookie year, Clark wowed the training staff by returning to the lineup in Week 10, and actually making an impact.
Clark has flourished with his increased snap share after the injury to Vander Esch and currently leads the Cowboys in total tackles with 60 through nine games.
He is the future for the Cowboys, and so is another unexpected contributor to the linebacker room.
Markquese Bell is currently one of the NFL’s highest-graded linebackers according to PFF.com.
Dan Quinn loves to double large safeties as undersized linebackers, and Bell has certainly rewarded him for it.
Bell is playing great football and has proven to be a worthy contingency plan in Vander Esch’s absence.
Dallas also addressed linebacker once again in the most recent draft, selecting LB DeMarvion Overshown in the third round from the University of Texas.
In training camp, Overshown was playing so well, that he spent time wearing the green dot on his helmet as the play caller for the defense.
Quite a feat for a rookie.
Unfortunately, Overshown would tear his ACL in a preseason game, and we won’t know what the future will look like with him until 2024.
If this really is Leighton Vander Esch’s swan song, he will end his career with 71 games played, 469 tackles, 13 TFL, 3.5 sacks, and three interceptions.