Damone Clark Injury History & Analysis

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that LB Leighton Vander Esch will miss the rest of the season with the neck injury that landed him on IR. Jones declined to say whether it might end the LB's career. Vander Esch has dealt with neck issues since college and sustained multiple injuries during his Dallas run. We'd bet that he's seriously considering whether to shut it down, at 27 and after six years in the league. We'll watch for further updates on that. For this year's Cowboys, the news means Damone Clark should lead the LB playing time the rest of the way. S/LB Markquese Bell has been running as the second LB since LVE went down. Bell's playing time appeared to decline sharply in Sunday's win over the Giants, though. We'll have to see this week how much of that came from the odd game script of the completely one-sided victory. For now, Bell is best left out of most IDP lineups. Clark looks like a weekly LB3 with upside into LB2 territory.

The Cowboys will be placing LB Leighton Vander Esch on IR for the neck injury that knocked him out in Week 5. He's expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks. We'll see Monday night just how Dallas plans to fill in for LVE. Damone Clark is an obvious candidate for more playing time. Micah Parsons has also been mentioned as a potential part of the plan, which would mean more snaps in a standup position off the D-line. S Markquese Bell also figures to see added playing time.

Cowboys LB Micah Parsons is questionable for Thursday night's game against the Titans with a left-hand injury that limited his practice the past 2 days. He said after Tuesday's workout that he still expected to play. The team has ruled out LB Leighton Vander Esch (shoulder), which will boost the playing time for LBs Anthony Barr and Damone Clark. Check our Week 17 IDP rankings to see whether either should factor into your fantasy football plans.

Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch (shoulder) is expected to miss his 2nd straight game Thursday against the Titans. He did some work on the side during Tuesday's practice but likely need more time before he's game ready. Rookie Damone Clark started in LVE's place against the Eagles but played just 69% of the defensive snaps and logged 4 total tackles. Veteran LB Anthony Barr has played 2 of his 4 largest snap snares all season the past 2 weeks. He has topped out at 7 total tackles, though, and has exceeded 4 solos just once (Week 15). We wouldn't bother with any Cowboys LB other than Micah Parsons for IDP lineups in most cases.

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy on Monday ruled LB Leighton Vander Esch out for Saturday's game against the Eagles. He also revealed that it's a shoulder injury for LVE rather than a neck issue, as originally reported. That's good news given Vander Esch's history of neck trouble. His absence this week should turn rookie LB Damone Clark into a full-timer. The 5th-round pick looks like an upside waiver-wire addition in deeper IDP leagues.