Leighton Vander Esch's 2020 season will be an abbreviated one after an opening weekend injury.
The Cowboys linebacker cleanly broke his collarbone, a source told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport after reviewing Vander Esch's CT scan. Vander Esch will undergo surgery and be able to return to action in six to eight weeks, Rapoport added.
The Cowboys' offense took a hit as well. An MRI confirmed tight end Blake Jarwin suffered a clean ACL tear, Rapoport reported. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones confirmed later Monday that Jarwin will have season-ending knee surgery.
Vander Esch's health has been a frequent issue for him early in his standout NFL career, with the problems centering on a neck injury. After playing all 16 games of his rookie campaign, Vander Esch was limited to just nine contests last season with the neck ailment, which eventually required offseason surgery.
A collarbone break, which is common in football, becomes his latest hurdle to clear. Collarbone fractures are fairly simple to recover and return from in a relatively short amount of time, which is good news for Dallas fans, even as they'll have to get used to seeing the Cowboys defense without its howling linebacker for the next month or two.
