Leighton Vander Esch injury update: Latest on Cowboys LB ahead of Week 6

The Dallas Cowboys' loss to the San Francisco 49ers worsened as linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is now under an injury cloud.

The linebacker suffered a neck injury in the 42-10 loss to the 49ers, and given his injury history, the team could very well take the cautious approach with him.

Vander Esch had an MRI at Levi's Stadium, which reportedly came back negative, and now there is more news on the linebacker's injury.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Cowboys are seriously considering placing Vander Esch on the Injured Reserve, which would rule him out of the upcoming four games of the season.

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Leighton Vander Esch return timeline

Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants

If Vander Esch is to be placed on the Injured Reserve, then at a minimum, he would miss Dallas' next four games, which are important ones, too.

Dallas faces the Los Angeles Chargers, the Los Angeles Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.

Given Vander Esch's injury history with his neck, if he were placed on IR, the four-game stretch would be the minimum amount of time he would miss.

Micah Parsons, who was drafted as a linebacker, could see more snaps at the position, and so too could Damone Clark, but the Vander Esch injury leaves Dan Quinn's unit worryingly thin at linebacker.

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Leighton Vander Esch injury history

Unfortunately, the neck area is a problem for Dallas' "Wolf Hunter."

He missed three games last season with a neck injury, then seven games in 2019, as it seems to be a troubled area for the linebacker. In 2020, Vander Esch missed six games with a broken collarbone, but aside from that, the linebacker has a reasonably healthy record.

The worrying thing is that this will be the third neck issue that Vander Esch has had to deal with, and by placing him on IR, the Cowboys think it could be something serious, and they don't want to rush him back.

After all, it is only Week 5, so there is no sense in risking a player, especially given the region of Leighton Vander Esch's injury.