3 free agents the Cowboys should bring back in 2023
By Mitch Larson
1. Leighton Vander Esch, LB
When linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the expectation was that if he could remain healthy he would bring stability to a Cowboys defense that badly needed it. During his first professional season, he delivered and then some. Vander Esch’s rookie season was electric, earning him second-team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl nod.
LVE, alongside the emergence of 2016 second-round pick Jaylon Smith, had Cowboys fans thinking they might have the best young linebacker duo in the league. But, it never quite worked out that way. Over the next few seasons, injuries severely hampered Vander Esch while Smith took a big step back and eventually found himself released mid-season in 2021.
After Dallas declined his fifth-year option, LVE played a solid year in 2021. Most importantly, he managed to stay relatively healthy. Dallas brought him back once again on a one-year, prove-it deal last offseason. Suffice it to say, he did enough to prove he can have a future on this team moving forward.
Since 2011 only 3 LBs have earned a coverage grade of 80.0+ while seeing 90+ targets.
— PFF (@PFF) March 1, 2021
Lavonte David (2019) - 91.1
Lavonte David (2020) - 83.8
Leighton Vander Esch (2018) - 81.0 pic.twitter.com/uxyaYWIkAL
2022 was LVE’s most consistent season with the Cowboys since 2018
In 2022 Vander Esch played in 14 games and made 90 combined tackles, his most since that electric rookie season. Pro Football Reference credited him with just three missed tackles all season, good for a 3.2% missed tackle rate, the lowest of his career. He missed fewer tackles over 31 games combined in the last two years than he did in nine games back in 2019 or 10 games in 2020. This season as a whole proved to be the most consistent he played since 2018.
Leighton Vander Esch was a big part of the Cowboys’ defensive success this past season. He’s worked his way back to and finished with back-to-back strong seasons helping to lead Dallas’ defense. Will he ever consistently reach the highs of that marvelous 2018 rookie season? Maybe not. But, he also doesn’t really need to.
He’s finally proven he can play at a consistent level, and he’ll likely be paid well for it. If the Cowboys are smart, they’ll bring LVE back to help anchor their defense once again next season.
