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Report: Cowboys not trading Leighton Vander Esch right now
\Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (55) prior to the game against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium.  Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Cowboys not trading one-time Pro Bowl LB Leighton Vander Esch right now

The Dallas Cowboys generated headlines and buzz this spring by selecting Penn State Nittany Lions star linebacker Micah Parsons in the first round of this year's draft and then declining the fifth-year option on one-time Pro Bowler Leighton Vander Esch. 

Some suggested over the past month that the Cowboys could or even should shop the 25-year-old, but NFL Network's Jane Slater (h/t Kevin Patra) reports Dallas is currently not interested in trading him. 

Vander Esch earned his only Pro Bowl nod as a rookie in 2018 but missed a total of 13 regular-season games over the following two seasons due to a neck issue and a broken collarbone. Both Slater and Todd Archer of ESPN explained last month the Cowboys want to sign Vander Esch to an extension that will keep him with the franchise past the 2021 campaign, and this update suggests he remains part of the club's defensive plans through at least the start of the summer months. 

Vander Esch's fifth-year option would have been worth $9.145 million and also would've been guaranteed, and it's unclear if he's willing to offer Dallas a discount or wants to try to maximize his value this fall in what has become a contract year. 

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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