Steelers should call Cowboys about LB Leighton Vander Esch

The Steelers have a need at linebacker and the Cowboys have a surplus. Here’s why Pittsburgh should make a call about Leighton Vander Esch. 

With nine selections in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Steelers were able to fill a number of glaring holes – primarily on the offensive side of the football. By doing so, however, the defense was hardly addressed with any sort of respectable draft capital, and this unit is worse on paper entering the 2021 season.

One position that the Steelers have been flirting with improving for years is the ‘Buck’ linebacker – a role that Vince Williams has held on and off since his rookie season in 2013. Over the past four years, Williams has moved to much more of a full-time role as the ‘Buck’ linebacker. However, Pittsburgh cut Williams this offseason before resigning him to a veteran minimum deal.

At his point, Williams shouldn’t be counted on for anything more than early-down work as a blitzer and run defender, but his best days are clearly behind the 31-year-old linebacker. Robert Spillane filled in nicely for Devin Bush last season, but he’s not the long-term answer the Steelers are looking for.

Getting Devin Bush back as the ‘Mack’ linebacker this year will certainly be big for Pittsburgh’s defense, but the team has been needing to find a permanent, full-time upgrade next to him for years now. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch could be exactly what the Steelers need.

Leighton Vander Esch makes perfect sense for Steelers

The Steelers had a clear and obvious infatuation with Leighton Vander Esch coming out of Boise State in the 2018 NFL Draft. While Pittsburgh typically doesn’t target non-Power 5 school players in the first round, they certainly would have made an exception for LVE.

The collegiate star not only would have filled a huge void for the Steelers at linebacker, but he would have given them a big, powerful, athletic presence in the middle of their football field who can play the run, blitz, and cover.

While the Cowboys haven’t yet come right out and said that Vander Esch is up for grabs, it makes plenty of sense as to why they would be willing to part with the former 19th overall pick. Dallas spent the 12th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft to land Penn State’s Micah Parsons this year in addition to securing LSU’s Jabril Cox later in the draft. In addition, the team still has Jaylon Smith under contract until through the 2025 season (though they could be looking to get out of his deal sooner rather than later).

On the other hand, the Cowboys chose not to exercise the 5th-year option for Leighton Vander Esch this offseason. This likely has to do with his concerning neck issues, as Dallas may not have trusted giving him so much money not knowing what his status would be.

Vander Esch was fantastic as a rookie in 2018 – earning 140 total tackles to go with 2 interceptions and 7 pass defenses in his first Pro Bowl season. However, the talented linebacker has played just 19 combined games over the past two seasons, and injuries have been the story of his career early on.

Knowing that they only have one more year with him, Dallas could be looking to move on from Vander Esch very soon, and with Parsons and Cox now on the roster, LVE becomes mostly expendable. In all likelihood, it probably wouldn’t take more than a mid-round draft choice to obtain the talented linebacker at this point. In addition, Vander Esch has a base salary of just $2.1 million, according to Over the Cap, because he is still on his rookie contract.

We have seen how quickly a great linebacker can make an impact on a football team. Though we don’t know if Leighton Vander Esch could stay healthy for a full season, he is certainly worth the gamble in a closing Super Bowl window for the Steelers. Pittsburgh should make a call.