Former Boise State LB Vander Esch will miss rest of Cowboys’ season, needs neck surgery
After more than a month of speculation, former Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch will not return to the field this season for the Dallas Cowboys.
Vander Esch has missed the past five games after suffering a neck injury, which some feared was career threatening. On Monday night, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett confirmed that the second-year pro will have surgery and finish the season on injured reserve, but the procedure will be minimally invasive and he should be cleared by the time the offseason program rolls around.
The first-round pick in the 2018 draft was shut down after re-aggravating a neck stinger in practice following a win over Detroit in Week 11. He’ll end the season with 72 tackles, half of a sack and one forced fumble. Last season, he made the Pro Bowl with 140 tackles and two interceptions.
As a redshirt junior at Boise State in 2017, Vander Esch was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after racking up 141 tackles, four sacks and three interceptions.
This story was originally published December 24, 2019 at 7:14 AM.
