Frisco, Texas — In the 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys will be on the field without linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. The 28-year-old injured his neck during the 2023 season, ending his season.
It also ended his career with the Cowboys, with the team opting to release the former Pro Bowler in March after failing his physical designation.
Vander Esch departs with 65 starts in Dallas.
His existing contract is scheduled to hit the Cowboys' total salary cap of $4.4 million, of which $2.2 million will be collected in cap savings, while the remaining $2.2 million will be dead money.
Vander Esch, a former first-round pick (19th overall) of the Cowboys in 2019, entered the league as a touted linebacker out of Boise State and was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year (2017). He won the Most Valuable Player Award. – Earned team All-Mountain West honors in the same season.
He began his career with the Cowboys, finishing his first season with a Pro Bowl appearance and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2018.
Things became much more difficult for him after that, mainly due to injuries. He was already battling neck issues at Boise State, but similar issues began to appear at the NFL level. Nerve problems in his neck forced him to undergo surgery in 2019 in hopes of repairing the problem, and he ended his second season on injured reserve.
He returned in 2020, but was placed on injured reserve due to another surgery and returned the same season, totaling 60 tackles in 10 games.
The next two seasons were very promising for Vander Esch, with no major injuries, a combined 30 starts, and a one-year contract extension for the 2022 season.
A two-year extension was agreed to in March 2023, and Vander Esch, who was also former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's green dot, got off to another strong start, but was injured in a game against the Suns in early October. I suffered a loss. Francisco 49ers.
He did not return for that contest or the remainder of the 2023 season, and it has now been decided that he will not return to uniform. The player affectionately known as “Wolfhunter” leaves a hole that the Cowboys won't easily fill, but they have no choice but to try and fill it. And their hope is that newly signed Eric Kendricks can help.
Vander Esch totaled 469 tackles, 13 pass breakups and three interceptions with Dallas and continues to weigh his options for his future in the NFL.
