Cowboys Noncommittal About Picking Up Leighton Vander Esch’s Fifth-Year Option

In a radio interview, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones did not commit to Dallas picking up LB Leighton Vander Esch‘s fifth-year option. 

“We’ll be discussing that after the draft,” Jones said via Michael Gehlken.

When he’s been healthy, Vander Esch has looked like a potential building block on defense for the Cowboys. But he has missed 13 games in the past two seasons. 

Dallas has until May 3 to exercise Vander Esch’s option for the 2022 season. It will cost Dallas $9.145 million, per Over The Cap.

Vander Esch, 25, was selected by the Cowboys with the 19th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s entering the fourth year of a four-year, $11.847 million dollar rookie contract that included a $6.696 million dollar signing bonus.

In 2020, Vander Esch appeared in 10 games for the Cowboys and accrued 60 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 53 linebacker out of 83 qualifying players.