Jerry Jones Confirms Dallas Cowboys Veteran Defensive Leader Out For Season

According to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, veteran linebacker Leighton Vander Esch will not return this season due to his lingering neck injury.

Jerry Jones is on record as believing his team's defense is the best in the NFL. That unit, however, will be without one of its veteran leaders the rest of the season.

On his weekly radio show Tuesday morning, the Dallas Cowboys owner confirmed that linebacker Leighton Vander Esch will not return this season because of his neck injury.

"Linebackers are a position of strength for us," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. "But he can't be replaced. It's a significant loss for us."

Vander Esch, 27, has battled neck injuries throughout his six-year career. He made the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro as a rookie in 2018. But underwent fusion surgery for a bulging disk in 2020. He suffered another neck injury in Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers and was placed on injured reserve. He is mulling another surgery, or potentially retirement.

Jerry Jones confirms that Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch won't return this season / ClutchPoints

"We completely left it up to him as to how he was evolving," Jones said. "The nature of his potential injury makes me think longer-term with him. He just really needs to see how this continues to heal ... and then go from there."

Without Vander Esch, the Cowboys defense dominated an anemic New York Giants offense last Sunday. Playing without starting quarterback Daniel Jones the Giants went 0 of 12 on third downs, becoming the first NFL team this season without a conversion in a game.

The Cowboys - who lost starting cornerback Trevon Diggs to an Achilles injury in Week 2 - remain the only defense in the league that hasn't allowed a 300-yard passer, 100-yard receiver or 100-yard rusher.

"I would say this, I'm glad we have this defense," Jones said. "I wouldn't trade this defense for any other in the league."

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