The Cowboys released Vander Esch (neck) with a failed physical designation Friday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
The 2018 first-round pick missed the final 12 games of the Cowboys' season in 2023 due to a neck issue, and he's now been cut loose with a failed physical designation. Vander Esch has missed three-plus games in four of his six years in the NFL, appearing in 71 of Dallas' 99 games during that span. The 28-year-old linebacker is now free to sign with another team once he moves past his neck injury.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Won't return this season
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Vander Esch (neck) is officially out for the season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated Tuesday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Vander Esch, who has a long history of neck injuries and was born with cervical spinal stenosis, was not expected back anytime soon despite being eligible to return from injured reserve this week. There is concern that this latest neck injury may force the 27-year-old into retirement, but Jones declined to comment when asked about that possibility.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Expected to land on IR
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The Cowboys are expected to place Vander Esch (neck) on injured reserve, Michael Gehlken and Calvin Watkins of DallasNews.com reports.
Vander Esch injured his neck in the second half of Sunday's Week 5 loss to the 49ers after colliding with teammate Micah Parsons. He subsequently underwent X-rays, which fortunately were negative. However, he was born with cervical spinal stenosis, which leads to increased pinched nerves, and has dealt with neck issues since college. As a result, the Cowboys appear in line to exercise caution with their starting weak-side linebacker by sending him to IR to focus on a full recovery. His absence is sure to be felt, as he was the defense's signal-caller and second leading tackler on the season. In his absence, Malik Jefferson is likely to be the next-man-up.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Puts together strong campaign
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Vander Esch recorded 90 tackles (54 solo), including one sack, with one pass defended and one forced fumble over 14 regular-season games in 2022.
The 26-year-old linebacker once again dealt with some neck issues, missing the final three games of the regular season due to a pinched nerve, but he returned for the playoffs and racked up 20 tackles across the Cowboys' two postseason contests. The late absences cost Vander Esch a chance to hit triple-digit tackles for the second time in his career, but it still was a good season overall. After playing 2022 under a one-year, $2 million prove-it deal, Vander Esch may have done enough to earn a bigger payday this offseason, whether from Dallas or another team.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Full go to open playoff prep
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Vander Esch (neck) was a full participant during the Cowboys' practice Thursday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Vander Esch missed the final three games of the regular season with a pinched nerve in his neck suffered Week 15 against Jacksonville. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that the linebacker was one of three starters expected to return in time for Monday's wild-card bout against Tampa Bay, and he appears to be right on schedule heading into this game. Vander Esch recorded 90 tackles across 14 games during the regular season, marking his most significant production since his 140-tackle rookie campaign in 2018. He'll now reprise a prominent role alongside linebackers Micah Parsons and Anthony Barr.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Trending toward return for playoffs
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Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that he's "very optimistic" about Vander Esch's (neck) status heading into the wild-card round of the playoffs, Patrik Walker of the team's official site reports.
Vander Esch sustained a pinched nerve in his neck during the Week 15 loss to Jacksonville, leaving him sidelined for the final three games of the regular season. The 26-year-old now appears to be one of three Cowboys starters that are nearing a return from injury, as McCarthy said Vander Esch, center Tyler Biadasz (ankle) and defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins (pectoral) all "looked very positive" Monday. He also added that the team would see where they're at during Wednesday's practice, which should provide additional clarity on their status heading into the wild-card matchup against Tampa Bay on Monday, Jan. 16.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Done for the day
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Vander Esch (neck) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Patrik Walker reports.
Vander Esch departed Sunday's contest versus Jacksonville during the first quarter with a neck injury, and it's since been revealed that he won't return to action for the rest of the afternoon. Damone Clark is now in line for additional linebacker snaps alongside Anthony Barr and Micah Parsons.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Racks up 14 tackles in win
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Vander Esch recorded 14 tackles (nine solo) in Sunday's win over the Texans.
He dominated from the middle of the Dallas defense against a run-heavy Houston game plan, setting a new season high in tackles and posting his best performance in that category since his rookie season. Vander Esch is up to 90 tackles on the year and is closing in on his second career campaign with triple digits, a figure he could reach in Week 15 against the Jaguars.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Leads Cowboys in tackles
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Vander Esch recorded eight tackles (five solo) during the Cowboys' 28-20 win over the Giants on Thursday.
Vander Esch matched his season low with three tackles during last week's blowout win over Minnesota, but he bounced back during the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day win. He's recorded at least five tackles in all but two of his appearances this year and has logged 75 tackles (44 solo), including a sack, along with a pass defense and forced fumble.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Double-digit tackles in win
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Vander Esch recorded a team-high 10 tackles (seven solo) in Sunday's win over the Lions.
The fifth-year linebacker is having a resurgent campaign as the Cowboys' primary option in the middle of the defense while Micah Parsons gets deployed all over the field in a variety of roles. This was the first game this season in which Vander Esch reached double digits in tackles, but he's up to 49 stops through seven games -- if he can stay healthy, he's on pace for his best total since he piled up 140 tackles as a rookie in 2018.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Re-signed by Cowboys
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Vander Esch and the Cowboys agreed to terms on a one-year contract Friday, the Dallas Morning News reports.
Vander Esch will thus return to a defensive scheme he knows well in 2022. The 2018 first-round pick finally managed to suit up for a full 17-game campaign last year, albeit while playing a more rotational role, though he did handle at least 75 percent of defensive snaps in the final three games of the regular season. Though Vander Esch's fantasy value has diminished in IDP formats, it will be worth monitoring the 26-year-old's involvement in OTAs and mini-camp, in the event he shows signs of rediscovering his rookie-year form.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Takes down Herbert
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Vander Esch recorded seven tackles (four solo) and a sack in Sunday's 20-17 overtime win against the Chargers.
Vander Esch logged 22 percent of the snaps in Week 1, but he bumped up to 47 percent in Week 2 after Micah Parsons was moved to defensive end in place of DeMarcus Lawrence (foot). While Vander Esch showed well, he's still behind Keanu Neal and Jaylon Smith in the linebacker pecking order.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Moving back to weakside
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Vander Esch has primarily been playing the weak side with the Cowboys' first-team defense during OTAs, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
The linebacker has looked healthy this offseason, and a shift out of the middle could help him regain the IDP form that saw him rack up 212 tackles in 25 games over his first two NFL seasons. Dallas has a crowded linebacker room, though, including the addition of first-round pick Micah Parsons, and Vander Esch could well find himself seeing fewer snaps per game in an effort to keep him on the field after two injury-plagued campaigns.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Won't play Week 17
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Vander Esch (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Giants, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
The 24-year-old will be sidelined for the second consecutive game to finish the regular season. The Cowboys will need to make the playoffs for Vander Esch to have a chance of returning to the field this season.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Expected out multiple weeks
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Coach Mike McCarthy does not anticipate Vander Esch will be able to suit up Week 16 against the Eagles with his high-ankle sprain, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
The Boise State product departed during the third quarter of Sunday's 41-33 win over San Francisco, and a subsequent MRI revealed Vander Esch sustained a multi-week injury in the form of a high-ankle sprain. As such, it wouldn't be a surprise if the 24-year-old proved unable to return over the remainder of the regular season. Should the Cowboys remain alive in the playoff hunt heading into Week 17, it's possible a quicker turnaround is contemplated for the star linebacker.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Will undergo MRI on ankle
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Vander Esch is set to get an MRI on his injured ankle Monday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The 2018 Pro Bowler stated postgame that he does not believe he suffered a broken ankle during Sunday's win over San Francisco, characterizing his injury as a high-ankle issue of some kind. An inability to stay on the field has plagued the 24-year-old linebacker, as he sat out seven games last season with a cervical neck stinger before going on IR in mid-September because of a broken collarbone. Joe Thomas would likely step back into the middle linebacker spot if Vander Esch were to miss additional time, just as he did Weeks 2 through 5 while amassing 35 tackles and a pair of pass breakups.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Lifted from IR
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Vander Esch (collarbone) was activated from injured reserve Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Vander Esch is slated to return to the lineup for the first time since fracturing his collarbone in Week 1. It's unclear if the oft-injured middle linebacker will immediately step back into an every-down role, but he should at least start for the Cowboys defense. If he does start, Vander Esch should be considered a solid IDP option, as he averaged 8.5 tackles per game over his first two NFL seasons.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Hopeful for Monday
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The Cowboys are hopeful regarding Vander Esch's (collarbone) chances of returning for Monday's matchup with the Cardinals, Rob Phillips of the Cowboys' official site reports.
Vander Esch appears to be trending toward a return off injured reserve, as he has suffered no setbacks at practice this week. Still, the team has yet to activate him. He has been sidelined since fracturing his collarbone in Week 1.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Practices again Thursday
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Vander Esch (collarbone) practiced Thursday, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The Cowboys are slated to practice in pads Friday, per Jane Slater of NFL Network. Once the team gets a chance to see how Vander Esch holds up in yet another padded session -- he did the same last Thursday -- he could be activated from IR this weekend in advance of Monday's game versus the Cardinals. Vander Esch hasn't played since fracturing his collarbone Week 1.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Dons pads at Thursday's practice
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Vander Esch wore pads at Thursday's practice for the first time since he fractured his collarbone during Week 1 action, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Among his drills, Vander Esch put in some cardio, hit the sled and took part in the turnover circuit. The Cowboys officially opened his 21-day window to be activated from injured reserve Wednesday, but they want to be sure he can hit again without breaking his collarbone before clearing him for game action, which seems unlikely to happen this Sunday against the Giants, per Jane Slater of NFL Network.
