The Cowboys are keeping Leighton Vander Esch. On Friday, the linebacker agreed to a new one-year deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
LVE was a first-round pick of the Cowboys in 2018, but they declined to pick up his fifth-year option. That put him on course for free agency this week, though the Cowboys were still interested in bringing him back — just at a lower rate.
Vander Esch made the Pro Bowl and the Second-Team All-Pro team as a rookie in 2018. That year, the No. 19 overall pick notched 140 tackles, seven passes defended and two interceptions. In 2020, he finished with just 60 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and zero passes defended in 10 contests. This past season, he notched 77 stops, one sack and one interception, showing that he still has something to offer as a coverage linebacker.
This year, LVE will try to reassert himself in the Cowboys’ pecking order. After playing on more than 75% of the snaps in his first two years, Vander Esch dropped to 67% in 2020 and just 58% of snaps in 2021.
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