After his record-breaking night, Dallas Cowboys rookie earns first league honor

Dallas Cowboys rookie Leighton Vander Esch was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after a standout game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The linebacker led the team with a franchise rookie record 19 tackles, including 13 solo, and collected his first-career interception in the Cowboys’ 27-20 win. He also recorded his second tackle for a loss, a key, third-down stop for a five-yard loss in the fourth quarter.

“He’s a young player but he goes about it the right way,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He works very hard, studies, prepares, and he has a really good instinct for playing the game.”

Vander Esch leads the team with 96 tackles, according to the team’s own tally. He’s the first rookie to earn the honor since Sean Lee had two interceptions and five tackles against the colts in December 2010.

“One of the things we’ve noticed every time he’s played is he’s around the ball a lot both in the running game and making plays in the passing game,” Garrett said. “His performance was far from perfect. He’ll be the first one to tell you that. There’s a lot for him to learn. But he’s showing up in the game and playing with the right spirit.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 11:59 AM.