Leighton Vander Esch missed a decent portion of the regular season for the Dallas Cowboys and had to undergo surgery after the season concluded. According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, Vander Esch's neck surgery ‘went well'.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones said LB Leighton Vander Esch’s neck surgery “went well. I feel really good about it. I feel really good about him making a full recovery and being ready to participate in everything.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 21, 2020
Back in Week 7, Vander Esch suffered a neck injury in Dallas' 37-10 rout versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Following the team's bye week in Week 8, Vander Esch missed Week 9 and would make his return in Week 10.
But after playing for two weeks after his neck ailment, Vander Esch reaggravated the injury and would miss the rest of the season. Altogether, the second-year linebacker missed seven games due to his nagging neck injury.
When the injury first occurred, Dallas was under the impression that Vander Esch could return at some point. However, the Cowboys were cautious with the former first-round pick since the injury could become serious if he continued to play.
In his nine starts, Vander Esch tallied 72 tackles, three deflections, and a forced fumble. There's no doubt that the Cowboys missed his presence on the defensive side of the ball.
Last season as a rookie, Vander Esch led the team with 140 tackles and also contributed two interceptions. With Vander Esch, the Cowboys boasted arguably the most dominant linebacker duo in the NFL with him and Jaylon Smith.
With Vander Esch in the lineup in 2018, the Cowboys had the fifth-best run defense in the NFL. Without Vander Esch in the center of the defense in 2019, Dallas owned the 11th best run defense in the NFL.
Hopefully for the Cowboys, Vander Esch is able to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery. The Cowboys will undoubtedly welcome him back with open arms when he's able to participate in offseason programs.
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