2021 now a prove-it year for LB Vander Esch as Dallas Cowboys decline 5th-year option
Former Pro Bowl linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is officially playing for his football future with the Dallas Cowboys.
The team informed his agent Ron Slavin that it will not pick up his fifth-year option for the 2022 season, making 2021 the final year under contract for the 2018 first-round pick.
The decision comes after the Cowboys took two linebackers in the 2021 NFL Draft, including Micah Parsons in the first round and Jabrill Cox in the fourth.
The Cowboys also signed former Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal in free agency and plan to use him at linebacker.
The Cowboys said they declined the fifth-year option of $9.145 million guaranteed for 2022 because of the uncertainty of the salary cap. The league is still reeling from financial losses in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cowboys also said they hope to sign Vander Esch to a long-term contract extension before the 2022 season, most certainly at lower price than the fifth-year option.
But it all depends on how Vander Esch plays in 2021 and whether he can stay healthy, which is something he hasn’t been able to do since his breakout rookie season in 2019 when he made the Pro Bowl.
Vander Esch missed 13 games the last two seasons. A neck injury cost him seven games in 2019, resulting him undergoing surgery after the season.
He missed six games in 2020 because of a broken collarbone.
The neck is the major issue as Vander Esch was born with spinal stenosis, a condition associated with a narrowing of the spine.
It was issue for some NFL teams before 2018 Draft. It was never a problem for him during his career at Boise State.
The Cowboys selected him with the 19th overall pick in the first round. Vander Esch rewarded them with a team-leading 176 tackles, setting a new franchise rookie record.
But the spinal stenosis was the root of the bulging disk that caused his neck issue in 2019 and surgery in January of 2020.
Last season’s broken collarbone in the season opener had nothing to do with the neck injury.
The spinal stenosis remains a year-to-year concern.
What is certain is that Vander Esch will be on the team in 2021 and remains a big part of the Cowboys plans on defense.
But there is also no denying the log jam for playing time at linebacker with the new additions in Parsons, Cox and Neal to go along with veteran starter Jaylon Smith.
Smith is also not guaranteed to be on the Cowboys passed the 2021 season, despite leading the team in tackles the past two seasons and being under contract through 2025.
The Cowboys can save $5 million under salary cap in 2022 if they release him after the 2021 season, putting him in a contract year as well.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 1:31 PM.
