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Dallas Cowboys lost linebacker Leighton Vander Esch for the remainder of the season. The team's owner, Jerry Jones, explained that the player had not been able to recover from a neck injury.
Vander Esch injured his neck in the Cowboys' 10-42 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on October 8, and although the franchise hoped he would be able to come off the injured list, this will no longer be the case.
In an interview with a local radio station, Jones explained that they were monitoring how the player's injury was developing, but, in the end, there was no hope.
"He's such a significant loss for us. He's an integral part of that defense out there. But we just wish him well," Jones declared and assured that they have the player's best interest in mind.
Vander Esch's career could be over
The Cowboys owner went further and itted that they are concerned about the long-term consequences of the 27-year-old's injury.
"The nature of his potential injury here causes me to think longer time and beyond what it means for next week or next month, relatively to the team," Jerry Jones said.
Although he itted that there are many factors involved in the player's condition, Jones indicated that "He just really needs to see how this continues to heal and then go from that point as to whether or not he'll want to expose himself to injury. "
Vander Esch's injury history
It is worth ing that the Boise State graduate has had recurring neck problems since his college days. In 2016, the linebacker missed half of the NCAA season due to a pinched nerve in his neck.
Vander Esch was picked by Dallas in the 2018 Draft, the year he was also called to the Pro Bowl. However, in 2019 he missed seven games, and six more in 2020.
After undergoing surgery in 2020 to solve the pinched nerve problem, the player seemed to be in great shape and only missed four games, including the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
However, his problems returned in that game against San Francisco, and now they could cost him his career.