The Dallas Cowboys could use as much help as they can get to get over the hump once and for all.
However, it seems like they won’t have one of their best defensive players on the field this season at all.
According to team owner Jerry Jones, LB Leighton Vander Esch won’t return from Injured Reserve (IR) and will miss the remainder of the campaign (Via 105.3 The Fan and Jon Machota).
Vander Esch suffered the neck injury in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and it will be a ‘significant loss’ for the team, said Jones.
Given Vander Esch’s history of neck injuries, some have shown concerns about whether he’s going to be able to play at all in the future, as he already underwent surgery for another neck ailment in the past.
He missed half of his 2016 collegiate season at Boise State with a neck injury before making the league as a first-round pick a couple of years later.
His career got off to a promising start, even getting a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie, but injuries have derailed his career and have kept him on the shelf multiple times over the past couple of years, including six games in the 2020 season before he had neck surgery to fix some issues with his nerves.
Now, it’ll be up to Rashad Evans and Micah Parsons to pick up the slack at the LB position and hold down the fort, hoping he can return at some point in the future.
