The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a precarious position, both physically and emotionally, following their 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on “Sunday Night Football.” The defeat, aptly described as a “kick in the ass” by head coach Mike McCarthy, has left them nursing wounds on multiple fronts.
Among the casualties is Leighton Vander Esch, their invaluable on-field signal-caller and inside linebacker. Vander Esch left the game with a neck injury, and although the team has not officially confirmed his injury status, head coach Mike McCarthy has hinted at an imminent announcement. It’s worth noting that Vander Esch previously endured a fractured collarbone in the 2019 season, a setback that necessitated surgery and prematurely concluded his year.
McCarthy provided an update, stating, “He [Vander Esch] is not available this week, and he is going to be designated on the injured reserve list. Then, we will watch the process.” While Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has seen some safeties, such as Markquese Bell, take on linebacker responsibilities, the team has sought external assistance to address the void.
Dallas recently added 27-year-old free agent linebacker Rashaan Evans to the practice squad. Vander Esch is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of four to six weeks due to his impending IR placement. Evans, originally the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans and an Alabama alum, spent his first four seasons with the Titans.
After having his fifth-year option declined, he signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2022, Evans achieved career-highs in tackles (159) and fumbles recovered (two) with the Falcons. McCarthy praised the decision, saying, “I think [VP of player personnel] Will [McClay] does a great job with individuals he has known [scouted] from in the past. He [Evans] had a really good workout. Of all the candidates we brought in, we felt he was the best fit.”
Considering that Evans may not be an every-down player in Quinn’s defense, it’s likely that safeties Jayron Kearse and Malik Hooker will step in as the helmet-wearing signal-callers, denoted by the green dot sticker on the back of their helmets, enabling them to receive Quinn’s play calls from the coaching booth.
Quinn stated, “In the past, it has been [safeties] JK [Jayron Kearse] and Malik Hooker. Sometimes in practice, we will rotate somebody different just to give them a go at it. … Generally, if it wasn’t Leighton, it would be JK or Malik who would do it.” This shift isn’t entirely unfamiliar, as Vander Esch wasn’t an every-down linebacker in Quinn’s first season as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in 2021.
Quinn explained, “It was more by the design of playtime early on where we rotated Leighton some, and he wasn’t on all third downs, but then it became where he is in almost all of the packages where he could go back and forth. When he wasn’t in all of them, for third downs, I would have guys signal when he wasn’t part of third downs early. That precipitated the shift. It wasn’t necessarily by a player, and it was by the design of not having to use the signal when you didn’t want to. If we have to go back the other way, almost all of the free safeties are guys who are always out there.”
