Frisco
Roughly 20 years ago, Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin’s Hall of Fame career ended due to cervical spinal stenosis, a congenital condition diagnosed after a devastating hit in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999.
On Monday, one day after a devastating 17-9 loss to the Eagles, doctors told Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch that he needed a minimally invasive neck surgery to repair a nerve issue so he can continue playing with spinal stenosis, a curvature of the spine that he has had since birth, sources said.
Vander Esch, the 2018 first-round pick who led the team with 176 tackles and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, has missed the last five games due to a bulging disk. But his problems actually started coming into focus after a stinger he suffered Oct. 20 in a 37-10 victory against the Eagles when he combined on a tackle with safety Jeff Heath.
Vander Esch had been wearing a Cowboys collar on the back of his shoulder pads to prevent his neck from going back, but when he got crunched on the tackle against the Eagles it pushed his head forward into his sternum, causing the stinger that wouldn’t calm down, a source said.
Vander Esch sat out the next game against the New York Giants, which came after a two-week rest because of the bye week. He returned for two games against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions before the nerve issue with the stinger flared up again in practice leading up to the Nov. 24 game against the New England Patriots.
He was not going to play in Sunday’s season finale against the Washington Redskins even before the decision to have surgery was made after an MRI exam Monday.
Vander Esch will have surgery in January and he is expected to be ready long before the start of training camp and resume his career in 2020, according to sources.
Coach Jason Garrett confirmed that Vander Esch will be placed on injured reserve, officially ending his sophomore season after just nine games and 87 tackles.
“He’s a good football player,” Garrett said. “I thought he continued to grow from his experience last year. Obviously, did a lot of great things for us as a rookie, and we feel like he got better. Unfortunately, he hasn’t played as much as we would have liked, and he’s been dealing with this neck injury.
“We’re going to do the right thing by him. This is the right thing for his career, and we do believe he’ll be back healthy and ready to play again at a very high level.”
Per sources, doctors have told Vander Esch that some players have played five years after undergoing the surgery and some have played 10.
If he needs a second surgery it will force him to retire.
His goal is to play 10 years.
And a source close to Vander Esch commended the Cowboys for erring on the side of caution in the best interest of his health and his career.
He has been fit for a new set of pads to help prevent his neck from going forward and hit his sternum. He will continue to wear the neck collar.
While Irvin and other players were forced to retire because of the injury, some have played with varying success.
Former New York Giants running David Wilson was forced to retire because of spinal stenosis in 2014.
Former NFL linebacker Jarvis Jones learned he had the condition as a freshman at USC. He transferred to Georgia and became the SEC Defensive Player of the Year of the Year before playing an uneventful five years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.
Linebacker Jameel McClain played seven years in the NFL with the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens despite being diagnosed with spinal stenosis.
Texas freshman linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd, a former five-star recruit, didn’t play in 2019 due to stingers that have been bothering him since high school and recently announced his retirement from football due to spinal stenosis.
This story was originally published December 24, 2019 11:10 AM.
