5 Dallas Cowboys players who likely won’t return in 2022

Dallas Cowboys player who won’t return No. 2: Leighton Vander Esch

There was once a time when Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith were considered two of the best young linebackers in the game. During Vander Esch’s rookie season, they were both playing at an incredibly high level and were the face of a resurgent defense.

Smith was rewarded with a massive extension ahead of 2019 and they looked ready to keep terrorizing offenses. Of course, Smith regressed in a major way and was recently released as the new coaching staff clearly wanted nothing to do with him.

After eliminating the hole he caused on defense, all attention turns to LVE. While he hasn’t fallen off a cliff in the way Smith did, he also has not been the same since his rookie season. The biggest problem for him has been health as he missed seven games in 2019 and six last season. So far in 2021, he has played in all six games but his impact has been minimal.

This is even after he’s been put on notice by the team when they declined the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. That didn’t guarantee they would move on from him but it made it highly likely. The fact that he hasn’t returned to his rookie form, however, almost certainly guarantees he won’t be back in 2022.