3 Cowboys players who won’t be back in 2022

Micah Parsons’ success has made injury-prone Leighton Vander Esch expendable

For as outstanding of a rookie season Micah Parsons is having out of Penn State, it will make things easier for the Cowboys to let Leighton Vander Esch walk in his free agency. Like Parsons, Vander Esch had a phenomenal rookie season. However, he has yet to recreate that magical 2018 season out of Boise State. Though he has not missed a game this year, he does get injured a ton.

No doubt about it, Vander Esch plays one of the most physically punishing positions in all of football. At his peak, he was an incredible player. Unfortunately, the NFL is a business and the Cowboys are no longer in business to pay linebackers with injury concerns top dollar. The last time they did that with Jaylon Smith, it totally blew up in their face. He is almost certainly walking now.

As with Gallup, Vander Esch is not a realistic candidate to get the franchise tag. All things equal, between the two of them, Vander Esch would get the tip of the hat from the Cowboys over Gallup because of the position he plays. However, he was not a player drafted by the current coaching staff. Look for the Cowboys to get more linebackers who can fit into Quinn’s system more cheaply.

With the way the Cowboys have drafted recently, they can afford to let players like these walk.