SportsDay Jan 17, 2019
Should the Cowboys consider starting Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch and Sean Lee at the same time?
Kristi Scales, the sideline reporter for the Dallas Cowboys radio network, answered your questions about the team in a live chat recently. Here are the highlights:Should Sean Lee return to the Cowboys in a reduced role?Scales: Sean Lee is taking some time to ponder his future as an NFL player. Should he return to the Cowboys? The team would love to keep him, but only at a reduced price. As much as they love Sean Lee, you can't afford to pay his full $10.075 million cap hit in 2019. If the Cowboys release him, they would save his $7 million base salary, but still have $3.075 million in dead...
Blogging The Boys Jan 17, 2019
Cowboys final rookie report: An evaluation of each first-year player from the draft
How did the 2018 rookie class do? Now that the Cowboys’ 2018 season is over, proper evaluations can be conducted on the team. One of the more prominent sentiments around this team is that, while the loss to the Rams in the divisional round was a disappointing end, this young roster has a bright future. A lot of that has to do with the great crop of players Dallas drafted in 2018. Now that they’ve all had a full rookie year with America’s Team, let’s evaluate the Cowboys rookies. Leighton Vander Esch Stat line: 140 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, seven passes...
ClutchPoints Jan 15, 2019
Cowboys’ Leighton Vander Esch will take over Luke Kuechly’s spot in Pro Bowl
According to Grant Gordon of NFL.com, Dallas Cowboys rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is replacing Carolina Panthers Luke Kuechly due to injury. Vander Esch out of Boise State was drafted by the Cowboys with the 19th overall pick in last year’s draft. He was incredibly effective as a 4-3 outside linebacker for the team, totaling […] The post Cowboys’ Leighton Vander Esch will take over Luke Kuechly’s spot in Pro Bowl appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Blogging The Boys Jan 15, 2019
Cowboys rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch added to Pro Bowl
The accolades keep rolling in for the Wolf Hunter. Leighton Vander Esch exceeded many expectations with his impressive play during his rookie season in the NFL. From nearly the first meaningful snaps he received as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Vander Esch was an impact player for one of the best defenses across the league in 2018. The man dubbed the “Wolf Hunter” was all over the field for the Cowboys, recording 176 total tackles (Cowboys rookie record), 102 solo stops, and a pair of interceptions. They weren’t just some useless box score stats either; LVE was truly an important...
SportsDay Jan 15, 2019
Going to Orlando: Cowboys rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch added to Pro Bowl roster
Leighton Vander Esch's season just got extended one more game.The rookie linebacker has been added to this year's Pro Bowl roster. Vander Esch is replacing Carolina Panthers standout linebacker Luke Kuechly, who elected not to play due to an injury. Vander Esch becomes just the 11th rookie in franchise history to make the Pro Bowl. Defensive backs Everson Walls (1981) and Mel Renfro (1964) are the only other Cowboys defensive players to make the Pro Bowl in their first campaign. Vander Esch had a breakout first year in Dallas. He set a Cowboys rookie record for tackles in a season with a...
Windy City Gridiron Jan 15, 2019
Bears place 3 rookies on ESPN All-Rookie team
The end of the season NFL awards are going to start flying in now that the regular season is over, and we’ve got the latest from ESPN to share with you guys today. Three Chicago Bears made the cut in ESPN’s 2018 NFL All-Rookie team, and that makes it another solid draft from general manager Ryan Pace. Bears’ first round daft pick, Roquan Smith, made it at linebacker along side their defensive rookie of the year, Darius Leonard of the Indianapolis Colts, and the Dallas Cowboys’ Leighton Vander Esch. Here’s what they said about Roquan. It says plenty about Smith that he played...
Blogging The Boys Jan 14, 2019
Reflecting on the season: How the Dallas Cowboys will be even better in 2019
It’s a sad time now, but there are so many reasons to be excited about this team’s future. The Dallas Cowboys 2018 offseason started out a little bumpy. The franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown catches, Dez Bryant, was released. Then, future first-ballot Hall of Fame tight end and franchise leader in catches, Jason Witten, retired. On draft day when fans expected to get a new star wide receiver, boos rained out inside AT&T stadium when the team selected Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. As if that wasn’t bad enough, news broke that their All-Pro center Travis...
SportsDay Jan 13, 2019
Sean Lee returning to the Cowboys next season? LB will wait to 'figure things out' after loss to Rams
LOS ANGELES - Sean Lee was uncertain how much he would play Saturday night.Lee had only logged 33 defensive snaps in the previous four games entering the divisional round playoff game against the Rams. The 32-year-old weakside linebacker played only four snaps in last weekend's wild-card win over Seattle.But Lee found his way onto the field in the second quarter for two consecutive series, rotating in to play weakside linebacker on one and middle linebacker on the next. Leighton Vander Esch was given a break on the first. Jaylon Smith stayed on the sidelines for the second. The Rams scored...
SportsDay Jan 12, 2019
Cowboys LB Sean Lee uncertain how much he'll play against Rams; 'I feel as good physically as I've felt in a long time'
LOS ANGELES -- In four games since returning from a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 9, Sean Lee has played only 33 defensive snaps.The 32-year-old weakside linebacker played only four in last week's wild-card win over Seattle.Although Lee was a full participant in practice all week for the first time since injuring his hamstring, his playing time isn't expected to increase significantly in Saturday night's divisional-round game against the Rams.The Cowboys will continue to give the bulk of their linebacker snaps to young standouts Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch."We'll see how the...
SportsDay Jan 10, 2019
Ezekiel Elliott on Cowboys defender who has emerged this season after giving one of Dallas' top players hell all training camp
FRISCO -- Most are familiar by now with names like DeMarcus Lawrence, Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch and Byron Jones, some of the faces of this year's Cowboys defense.But one of that group's unsung heroes has been consistently turning heads since training camp.On the first play of Seattle's second possession last Saturday, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson dumped the ball down to running back Chris Carson on a screen pass. Carson had three blockers out front.Cowboys nose tackle Antwaun Woods read the play, holding his ground near the line of scrimmage instead of going after Wilson.As...
Blogging The Boys Jan 5, 2019
Cowboys vs. Seahawks Inactives: Su-a-filo, Irving INACTIVE; Vander Esch, Austin ACTIVE
Who’s in and who’s out for Cowboys-Seahawks wild card round? It’s wildcard weekend, and the Cowboys will be kicking off shortly. Before we get to the postseason action, lets take a look at the inactive lists for both teams to see who will be up, and who will be down. Cowboys Inactives Connor Williams will start at LG with Xavier Sua Filo (ankle) inactive. Other @dallascowboys inactives: DT David Irving, S Dairan Thompson, RB Darius Jackson, DE Dorance Armstrong, LB Chris Covington, QB Mike White— KristiCowboySideline (@KristiCowboy) January 5, 2019 The Cowboys will be...
Blogging The Boys Jan 4, 2019
Zack Martin named first-team All-Pro; Byron Jones, Leighton Vander Esch, Ezekiel Elliott on second-team
Some respect for a few Cowboys. The regular season is over which means awards and accolades are starting to trickle out. We learned that the Cowboys have five players headed to the Pro Bowl a few weeks ago, and now the results of All-Pro team selections are out. The Dallas Cowboys have one first-team All-Pro, Zack Martin. They have three second-team All-Pro members in Ezekiel Elliott, Leighton Vander Esch, and Jaylon Smith. Well done. 2018 AP @NFL All-Pro pic.twitter.com/WtwiSbdfCO— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 4, 2019 The Associated Press 2018 NFL All-Pro team...
SportsDay Jan 4, 2019
Film room: 3 bold predictions for Cowboys-Seahawks, including a pair of sacks for LB Jaylon Smith
The Dallas Cowboys lost their first meeting with the Seattle Seahawks this season, but take that loss with a grain of salt, as both teams have changed dramatically since Week 3.The Seahawks lost Earl Thomas (who had two interceptions in that matchup) but have since seen their offense climb to new heights.The Cowboys were in the pre-Amari Cooper era, when their offense was anemic and unable to consistently score on anyone. Sean Lee was still the starting WILL linebacker in and Cowboys Nation had no idea what it had in Leighton Vander Esch, who missed a lot of training camp with injuries.It's...
Field Gulls Jan 3, 2019
Seaside Chats: R.J. Ochoa joins the podcast to talk Cowboys
This week on Seaside Chats: PLAYOFFS EDITION!!! I am joined by R.J. Ochoa, a writer for Blogging the Boys and contributor for ESPN San Antonio. In this over hour-long podcast, we talk about the Cowboys as it pertains to this Saturday’s wild card matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Ochoa (follow on Twitter) goes over how important Ezekiel Elliott really was to the Cowboys this season, the addition of Amari Cooper, the growth of Leighton Vander Esch, the health of the offensive line, and why Kris Richard is getting so many head coaching interviews this time around. The show is available...
SportsDay Jan 2, 2019
Cowboys TE Blake Jarwin named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after career game against Giants
The Dallas Cowboys have completed the NFC Player of the Week trifecta for the 2018 season.Kicker Brett Maher won the special teams award in Weeks 4 and 16. Rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch won the defensive award in Week 10 after notching a career-high 13 tackles, his first interception and a tackle that was arguably the play of the game. Jarwin's career highs of seven catches and 119 yards and three touchdowns earned him Week 17's award.Since Jason Witten's retirement, the Cowboys have been looking for production at tight end. Reports of head coach Jason Garrett trying to lure Witten...
