Vander Esch is set to re-sign a two-year deal with $11 million with the Cowboys, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Vander Esch missed three games last year and 17 games over the past four seasons, but he's been a strong run defender for the Cowboys. Although he's never come close to matching the 140 tackles he had as a rookie, the 90 stops he posted in 2022 represented the second-best season of his career. Going into his age-27 season, he'll remain an anchor for the team at middle linebacker.
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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: Out again
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Vander Esch (neck) has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Commanders.
Vander Esch will miss a third straight game due to a neck injury he suffered during the team's Week 15 loss to Jacksonville. Damone Clark figures to remain a prominent part of Dallas' defense until Vander Esch is able to return.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Officially ruled out
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Vander Esch (neck) has been ruled out for Thursday's matchup against the Titans, Jane Slater of NFL Network reports.
Vander Esch didn't practice during Week 17 prep due to a neck injury and wasn't expected to play Thursday, so it's not surprising to see him officially ruled out. Micah Parsons (hand) is questionable, so the Cowboys may be without two of their starting linebackers for Thursday's primetime matchup against Tennessee.
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Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch: Unlikely to play Thursday
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Vander Esch (neck) did some resistance work at practice Tuesday but was labeled as DNP and isn't expected to play Thursday versus Tennessee, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Vander Esch is dealing with a stinger that kept him sidelined for last week's win over the Eagles and has resulted in a pair of DNPs at practice so far this week. Given that Dallas plays the Titans on Thursday Night Football, it appears likely that the linebacker will be forced to miss another contest. Damone Clark is likely to again see more work if Vander Esch indeed remains out.
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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: Exits with injury
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Vander Esch is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Jaguars with a neck injury, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports
Vander Esch was escorted to the locker room during the first quarter, per Gehlken, though the exact nature of this neck issue is still unclear. In his absence, Damone Clark will likely step up into a bigger role between fellow linebackers 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: Available Sunday
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Vander Esch (illness) is officially active for Sunday's game against the Texans, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Vander Esch was considered questionable after he was added to the injury report Friday with an illness, though he'll still be available for Sunday's contest. The 26-year-old recorded only one tackle against the Colts last week, and has 76 tackles (45 solo), one sack and one forced fumble through 12 games this year.
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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: Productive in Sunday's win
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Vander Esch recorded seven tackles, including one sack, and one pass defended in Sunday's win over the Bengals.
The 26-year-old has put together two strong IDP performances in a row to begin the season after he racked up nine tackles in Week 1. With Micah Parsons increasingly being used as a pass rusher, Vander Esch is left to fill the middle linebacker role in the Dallas defense, and while his injury history makes him tough to rely on, he should continue to produce as long as he's on the field.
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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: Dozen tackles against Denver
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Vander Esch recorded 12 tackles (seven solo) in Sunday's loss to the Broncos.
A woeful effort by the Dallas offense led to a lot of rushing attempts for Denver in the second half, and Vander Esch took advantage by leading the Cowboys in tackles and posting his first double-digit performance of the season. Micah Parsons has emerged as the clear leader of the team's linebacking corps, but LVE is still capable of solid IDP numbers when game flow works in his favor.
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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: Battles through injuries again
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Vander Esch recorded 60 tackles (32 solo) while adding a sack and a forced fumble over 10 games in 2020.
The linebacker once again couldn't stay healthy, suffering a broken collarbone in Week 1 and then missing the final two games of the year with an ankle injury, but Vander Esch also wasn't as productive when he was on the field, and he only managed two games with double-digit tackles as his snap count was often limited. The Cowboys are bringing in a new defensive coordinator in Dan Quinn, which should help the unit's performance as a whole, but if LVE can't avoid landing on IR a couple times a year, a better scheme won't be enough for him to regain his 2018 form.
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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.
