The Dallas Cowboys didn’t just suffer a humiliating 42-10 defeat at the hands of the rival San Francisco 49ers Sunday night in Northern California.
They also lost one of the heart and souls of their defense in that of Pro Bowl linebacker Leighton Vander Esch to a neck injury. He suffered the injury after 49ers left tackle Trent Williams blocked the linebacker into teammate Micah Parsons.
With a history of neck injuries in his past, this was troubling to see. The Cowboys now plan to place Vander Esch on injured reserve. While the hope is that he’ll be able to return this season, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News notes that the Cowboys will explore a veteran addition to replace the former first-round pick.
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Dallas Cowboys must find a way to replace Leighton Vander Esch
Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn mentioned Damone Clark as someone who needs to step up in the absence of the Pro Bowl linebacker.
Clark, 23, was a fifth-round pick of Dallas out of LSU in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s started all five games next to Vander Esch at the weak side, recording 31 tackles. Opposing quarterbacks have completed only three passes against him in five games. Though, taking on more of a traditional backer role would lead to more snaps in coverage.
Quinn also pointed to NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Micah Parsons as someone who could take more off-ball reps. But that’s not ideal given his importance in actually getting to the quarterback (30.5 sacks in 38 career games).
The likelier scenario here is that Dallas will look to the NFL free agent and/or trade markets for an exterior addition.
The likes of Devon White (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Patrick Queen (Baltimore Ravens) have been bandied about a lot on the trade block in recent months. Former Cowboys linebacker Anthony Barr is the biggest free agent remaining on the market at that position.
As for Vander Esch, this latest injury is troubling. Back in 2019, he missed seven games due to a nerve issue in the neck that required surgery. He also missed the final four games of last season after suffering a stinger in the neck.