The Dallas Cowboys will have a different look on defense next season.
Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who was released from the team last week with a failed physical designation stemming from career-long neck issues, announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday.
“I love the game of football so much, and my body won’t cooperate any longer,” Vander Esch said in a statement, via ESPN. “I cherished every moment of my NFL career, and it has been such a blessing to play the game for as long as I have played.”
Originally drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Vander Esch was tasked with leading the Dallas defense into the future as Sean Lee’s time with the Cowboys began to wind down.
A hamstring injury to Lee thrust Vander Esch into the spotlight right away, and he made the most of his rookie campaign, setting a Cowboys rookie record with 140 tackles, placing him third in the NFL for the 2018 season.
Unfortunately, injury issues soon set in for the Boise State alum. He would play a full season just one more time in the remaining five years of his career, when he appeared in all 17 games in the 2021 season. Vander Esch suffered a neck stinger late in the 2022 season but was able to return for the postseason and start the 2023 season, but a collision with teammate Micah Parsons in Week 5 led to his season and career coming to a premature close.
[ESPN]
