When the Dallas Cowboys released linebacker Leighton Vander Esch last Friday due to salary cap concerns, it was fully expected that he would soon announce his retirement from the NFL. Vander Esch officially announced Monday that he is retiring from football after six years with the Cowboys due to injury.
This was long-awaited for Vander Esch, as he injured his neck last October against the San Francisco 49ers and was forced to miss the final 11 games of the season.
Vander Esch has struggled with his neck injury since being diagnosed with spinal stenosis during his time at Boise State. The Cowboys drafted him in the first round in 2018, and he had a magical rookie season. He led the Cowboys with 178 tackles and made the Pro Bowl.
However, neck issues surfaced in 2019, causing some teams to remove him from their draft boards after he missed seven of his final nine games. He returned after undergoing fusion surgery on his neck and wearing his shoulder pad brace to stabilize his neck from snapping too far back. Vander Esch appeared in 10 games in 2020 and 17 games in 2021.
In 2022, he missed the final four games of the regular season with the Stingers, but returned for two games of the playoffs.
The end came in 2023 against the San Francisco 49ers when Vander Esch was pushed from behind by left tackle Trent Williams and collided head-to-head with edge rusher Micah Parsons. Vander Esch finished his career with 557 tackles in 71 games.
