Former 1st round pick Leighton Vander Esch hoping to stay healthy, contribute more this season
FRISCO, Texas - A Cowboys linebacker hopes he can stay healthy and prove his worth this season.
Leighton Vander Esch has missed much of the last two seasons because of injuries.
His playing time has been limited recently thanks in part to the early emergence of rookie Micah Parsons and free agent Keanu Neal.
But at times this preseason, Vander Esch has shown flashes of the talent that led Dallas to pick him in the first round in 2018.
"I’m just happy to be out there. My goals are to be just the best teammate I can be, to be able to communicate on a high level, to be able to lead this defense. Be someone that the guys can lean on, come with questions if they need to help the young guys get along, the way I was helped when I was a young guy. But just focusing on myself and the things I can control really, just keeping things simple," he said.
The Cowboys’ third preseason game is Saturday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington against Houston.
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