Why Jerry Jones says a returning Sean Lee would start over rookie Leighton Vander Esch
No matter what the perception is, Jerry Jones doesn’t decide who starts for the Dallas Cowboys.
If that was the case quarterback Tony Romo likely would have returned to the starting lineup over a hot Dak Prescott after missing the first nine games with an injury in 2016.
Romo didn’t return as coach Jason Garrett decided to stay with the hot hand in Prescott, who led the Cowboys on an 11-game winning streak en route to a 13-3 season.
Fast forward to 2018 and the Cowboys are again riding a hot streak, winning four-straight games heading into Sunday’s NFC East showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles.
They have done it without weakside linebacker Sean Lee, the veteran quarterback of the defense who has missed the last four games with a hamstring.
Rookie first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch has thrived in his place, leading the Cowboys in tackles while emerging as a star on a defense that ranks fifth in the league overall and second in points allowed.
Vander Esch had a team-high 10 tackles as the defense shocked the NFL by completely shutting down the league’s highest-scoring offense in a 13-10 victory against the New Orleans Saints last Thursday.
But with Lee set to return either Sunday against the Eagles or the following Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, Jones has promised to give him his starting job back, sending Vander Esch to the bench.
At least, that is what he said on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan Tuesday. Lee will start but play in a rotation with Vander Esch when he is healthy, Jones said.
“Yes and he needs to be,” Jones said when initially asked if Lee would return to the starting lineup. “You’ll have a rotation but certainly with a player of his stature and you ask, ‘Has he earned it?.’ I said the other day that Sean has had as much to do with how Vander Esch has evolved as his coaches have. He’s an outstanding individual to have in the meeting room and on the field. When you get him in the game he is that much more a quarterback on the field. So he creates a wonderful situation for us when he is healthy. We are all going to look at the idea of not rushing him back. We want to be careful about not getting him back too fast.”
The ‘not rushing him back’ may be the key to the entire situation as the Cowboys can use that to stave off an imminent decision on the issue.
But why play mind games at all, especially with Vander Esch playing so well? The two played in a rotation after Lee returned from missing three games earlier in the season.
But Vander Esch is not the same player now that he was then. He has really developed into one of the team’s best and most valuable defensive players. He helped secure wins against the Eagles and Atlanta Falcons with key interceptions.
Jones allowed that Vander Esch has improved exponentially, but maintains that no one is as good as a healthy Lee.
“Make no mistake about it, when (Lee) is right there is nobody better,” Jones said. “He’s such an integral part of adjusting on the field and making the big play.”
Lee has missed seven games this season and has never played a full 16 games since joining the Cowboys as a second-round pick in 2010. He has missed a total of 49 games in nine years.
He has led the Cowboys in tackles in each of the last three seasons, though that streak will end in 2018. Lee has only 35 tackles through 12 games. Vander Esch is running away with his first tackles title with 129.
This story was originally published December 4, 2018 at 2:07 PM.