What It Means:

Vander Esch underwent surgery in January for a neck injury that limited him to nine games last season. “I feel as good now as I ever have, before I even got hurt," Vander Esch said. "I mean, I’m ready to roll. I’ve been training full-go for a couple of months now, so it’s not holding me back whatsoever. I feel, like I said, just as good as I ever have. I’m just excited to play football at this point and get back on the field. Whenever they give us the green light to go, we’ll be ready.” Vander Esch's return should help boost a Cowboys defensive unit that took a step back last season. The 2018 first-rounder earned second-team All-Pro honors after recording 140 tackles as a rookie.

The Cowboys ranked 17th in numberFire's adjusted defensive metrics last season, compared to 8th in 2018. Vander Esch earned the sixth-best pass-rushing grade (78.0) from Pro Football Focus last year out of 63 linebackers with at least 500 snaps.