Once considered injury prone, this former Boise State star has a new NFL contract
Former Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is staying with the Dallas Cowboys — at least for one more season.
Vander Esch — the No. 19 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft — has signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys, the franchise announced Friday. Financial details of the contract were not released.
He’s the third Boise State alum to sign a new NFL deal in the past week. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is also staying in Dallas, and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. left the Cowboys in favor of the Miami Dolphins.
Vander Esch, of Riggins, set the Cowboys’ single-season rookie record with 140 tackles in 2018, but he only played in 19 games in the two seasons that followed because of neck, collarbone and ankle injuries.
Vander Esch’s future with the franchise has been in question since last year when Dallas announced it wouldn’t pick up the fifth-year option in his rookie deal. He had a bounce-back year in 2021, though, posting 90 tackles, a sack and an interception while appearing in all 18 games, including a team-high 13 tackles in a loss to San Francisco in the wild card round of the playoffs.
The 26-year-old has 349 tackles, three interceptions and 2.5 sacks to his credit in four NFL seasons. Vander Esch and fellow veteran linebacker Keanu Neal were both free agents this year. Neal will likely sign elsewhere, while Vander Esch returns to join second-year pros Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox in Dallas.
Parsons — the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 draft — led the Cowboys with 13 sacks and finished No. 2 on the team with 93 tackles last season.
Vander Esch played at Boise State from 2014 to 2017 and was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in his final season. His rookie deal with the Cowboys covered four years and was worth $11.8 million.
Note: Vander Esch will hold his annual youth football camp at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise on June 17. For more information, check out lvecamp.com.
