Season over for injured Dallas Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch. Is his career also over?

Given his injury history, it was well understood that Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was unlikely to return in 2023 after suffering a neck injury against the San Francisco 49ers last month.

He was placed on injured reserve and missed the past four games.

According to a source, Vander Esch is facing possible neck surgery. A final decision is expected to be made Friday, putting his career in jeopardy.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed on Tuesday that Vander Esch was done for 2023.

“I would say that’s accurate,” Jones said. “We had just completely left it up to how he was evolving. But of course, it’s a very significant loss for us. He’s an integral part of that defense out there. We just wish him well. The nature of his potential injury here causes me to really think longer term and beyond what it means for next week or beyond what it means for next month relative to the team. It has everything to do with what’s in his best interest.”

Jones declined to speculate on whether Vander Esch has played his last game in the NFL. But he didn’t rule it out.

“I don’t know. There are a lot of factors involved,” Jones said.

It would be a second neck surgery for Vander Esch, who has been diagnosed with spinal stenosis.

It’s something he has played with since college at Boise State when he missed seven games in 2016 due to a pinched nerve in his neck. It didn’t prevent the Cowboys from making him a first-round pick in 2018.

Vander Esch had neck surgery to alleviate the nerve issue before the 2020 season and the Cowboys equipped his shoulder pads with a padding to help restrict his neck movement.

He played just nine games in 2019 and 10 in 2020. He returned to play in 17 games in 2021.

Vander Esch missed three games last season due to a shoulder injury but the Cowboys were cautious with his return because of history of neck issues.

Vander Esch played in two playoff games last season and had no issues in training camp or through the first 4 games of 2023 until he was pushed behind by 49ers tackle Trent Williams in Week 5 and collided with a teammate.

Now, there is a question of whether he will ever play again, with or without the surgery.

The Cowboys defense has held up in Vander Esch’s absence thanks to the emergence of Markquese Bell who starts alongside Damone Clark at linebacker. Clark leads the team with 60 tackles. Bell is second with 48 despite having just three starts.