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Dallas Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch is out for the season with a neck injury

Vander Esch has a history of neck injuries and has undergone fusion surgery in the past. The latest injury could be career-threatening.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (55) during a game against the Eagles in 2022.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (55) during a game against the Eagles in 2022.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
    by Tribune News Service, Tribune News Service
    Published 

In an interview Tuesday with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed Tuesday that linebacker Leighton Vander Esch’s season is over after he suffered a neck injury Oct. 8 against the San Francisco 49ers. There are indications that the injury could end Vander Esch’s career.

“He is an integral part of that defense out there,” Jones said. “We just wish him well, and just the nature of his potential injury here causes me to really think longer term and beyond what it means for next week or beyond what it means for next month.

“It has everything to do with what’s best in his interest.”

The 27-year-old Vander Esch had 35 tackles, one tackle for loss, two quarterback pressures, and a fumble returned for a touchdown in the season’s first five games.

According to ESPN, Vander Esch has a history of neck injuries, and missed the final nine games of the 2019 season with an injury that resulted in a fusion surgery. He also missed the final four games last year with a stinger, according to the website.