Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett made some concerning remarks about the health of Leighton Vander Esch on Friday, but the star linebacker is not in danger of missing the remainder of the season or worse.
Vander Esch has been dealing with a neck injury that he initially suffered last month, and Garrett told reporters the team has no reason to believe it is career-threatening. The fact that Garrett even mentioned that about a 23-year-old player led to some panic, but David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports that Vander Esch is dealing with a herniated disk and will likely return next month.
Jason Garrett set off alarms when he said injury keeping Leighton Vander Esch out of Sunday's game isn't career-threatening. Club officials insist it doesn't rise to that level of concern. Sources say LVE's dealing w/ a herniated disc that will likely sideline him until December.
— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) November 22, 2019
That’s good news, though the Cowboys could use Vander Esch with games upcoming against the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills — two teams with winning records.
Vander Esch said he was not concerned about the injury when he first suffered it last month, but it has obviously lingered. He missed the team’s Week 9 game coming out of the bye but has played the last two weeks. Vander Esch recorded five tackles in last week’s win over the Detroit Lions.
