Report: Dallas Cowboys making 'no progress' on deal with Leighton Vander Esch

Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on Friday that the Dallas Cowboys are making “no progress” in negotiations with linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. He racked up 90 tackles last year, the second most of his career behind the 140 he tallied as a rookie. Vander Esch also earned Pro Bowl honors that season, before dealing with a number of neck injuries throughout his career.

The Cowboys have several players they’d like to sign before free agency hits next week. Two of the biggest names are Tony Pollard and Dalton Schultz. There are a number of other players that are soon-to-be free agents that they’d love to sign before next week.

“I thought Leighton had a great year,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said earlier this week, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “It’ll all just boil down to the economics in terms of where he ends up. He had a hell of a year.”

Before being selected by the Cowboys in the 2018 NFL Draft, Van Der Esch enjoyed a breakout season during his junior year with Boise State (2017-2018). He was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after making 141 tackles (fifth in the nation), four sacks, two interceptions, and four forced fumbles (led the team).

The Cowboys also are not optimistic about signing safety Donovan Wilson ahead of free agency, a sixth-round pick in 2019. He had a career year for the franchise, racking up 101 tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, and five sacks. He and Vander Esch combined for 191 tackles last year and were the top two tacklers on the team.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they’ve got 19 players that are set to become unrestricted free agents. It’ll be interesting to see which ones they are able to keep in Dallas.