Dallaw Cowboys star LB Leighton Vander Esch can't catch a break.
Vander Esch exited Sunday night's opener against the Los Angeles Rams when he appeared to injure his collarbone late in the first quarter. It was later revealed through an X-ray that the 24-year-old fractured his collarbone and would continue to sit out the rest of the evening.
Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL, the Idaho native is poised to be moved to the Cowboys' Injured Reserve list, which will be a huge blow to the Dallas defensive line.
#Cowboys star LB Leighton Vander Esch suffered a fractured collarbone early in the game tonight, source said. He’ll land on Injured Reserve, a brutal blow. The nerve center of the defense and one of its top playmakers, Vander Esch’s loss stings. He’ll be back this season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 14, 2020
It was a rough evening for the Cowboys as they also lost both starting TE Blake Jarwin and reserve OT Cam Erving with knee injuries early in the game. Dallas ended up losing a tight one against the Rams, 20-17.
Leighton Vander Esch missed a total of seven games last season with a neck injury. He had to undergo offseason surgery to address a spinal disk issue and work his way back while building his confidence.
His return, however, was short-lived as additional paddings weren't enough to protect him from suffering a fracture in his first game back since November of last year.
In the latest update by the Cowboys, they confirmed that the one-time Pro Bowler suffered a fractured clavicle and will miss some time. Nonetheless, they did not provide the extent of the injury and how long will he be out. Historically, collarbone injuries require surgery and would require a 4-6 week recovery period which would ultimately sideline the young star, per the Dallas Morning News.