Cowboys release Leighton Vander Esch amid threat of career-ending neck injury

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The Dallas Cowboys made the decision to release linebacker Leighton Vander Esch on Friday.

Dallas is the only team the 28-year-old has played for in the NFL, as the Cowboys selected him with the 19th overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.

But neck injuries, dating all the way back to college, have limited him from tapping into his true potential.

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Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch walks off after suffering an injury during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Oct. 8, 2023. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Vander Esch was named to the Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro in his rookie season, but underwent spinal fusion surgery in his second season, limiting him to just nine games.

Collarbone and neck injuries kept him out of six games in 2020, but he played a full season the following year. He missed four games in 2022 with a stinger in his neck, and then another neck injury following an awkward collision with teammate Micah Parsons caused him to miss the final 12 games last season.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted he wasn't sure if Vander Esch's latest injury was career-ending, but there seemed to be some doubts about it.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is seen on the field before the game against the New England Patriots at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 1, 2023. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

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"Let’s just put it like this, I don’t know," he said at the time. "There are a lot of