Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott, standouts from Week 10 vs. Eagles

1. Leighton Vander Esch

The first-round pick from this past April, Leighton Vander Esch is quietly becoming a very solid and exciting player and possibly one day Sean Lee 2.0 for the Dallas Cowboys defense. The Cowboys selected Vander Esch to play behind Lee as he’s been injured numerous times over the past few seasons, and that thinking worked out on Sunday night.

Vander Esch started in place of Lee, who will miss multiple games with a hamstring injury, and Vander Esch didn’t disappoint by any means in the seven-point win by the Cowboys over the Eagles.

In the win, Vander Esch finished with 13 tackles, with one tackle for a loss and his first career interception. This was a breakout game for the rookie linebacker, and most likely he’ll have many more games like this in his future with the franchise. The Cowboys are looking very smart in selecting Vander Esch as he’s picked up the NFL game very quickly, and he’s making a mark and making a difference when he’s on the field on the defense.

Without Vander Esch on Sunday night, the Cowboys wouldn’t have been able to gain this win, and moving forward — even when Lee returns — don’t be surprised to see more and more of the rookie linebacker as the regular season continues.