Leighton Vander Esch Resurfaces as DROY Contender with Short Odds

• The Cowboys’ Leighton Vander Esch is suddenly among the favorites for DROY
• How have his odds adjusted throughout the season so far?
• Does the ILB offer value over other contenders for the award?

The Dallas Cowboys’ 19th-overall draft choice Leighton Vander Esch began the season with reasonable expectations for success. With average odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year of +1600 back in September, the ILB’s odds drifted as far out as +4000 throughout October before dropping out of the betting options entirely.

However, a few strong performances recently have been enough to not only see him re-emerge as a candidate, but also as one of the betting favorites.

Vander Esch is now trading at average odds +550 which are the third-best odds to win the award.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds

Vander Esch Making a Difference

Vander Esch has played a part in a Cowboys defense all season that ranks fifth against the run, tenth against the pass and eighth in total yards allowed.

Despite having no INTs or sacks through his first seven games, the rookie did total a combined 54 tackles.

Back-to-back games of 14 and ten combined tackles in early October were not enough to stop his odds from drifting out for the award.

Don't even bother trying to block Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch because he will just tackle you and the ball carrier at the same time#DALvsATL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/7IeuHCr0q7

— Kevin Boilard (@KevinBoilard) November 18, 2018

Out of Sean Lee’s Shadow

It was easier to fly somewhat under the radar when he was sharing the field with All-Pro linebacker Sean Lee. However, Lee has once again been plagued by injuries and has only played in five games this season – none since November 5.

That’s allowed the 22-year-old to grab the spotlight and slowly start to make a name for himself. In the Cowboys’ last two games, Vander Esch has intercepted a pass in each game and has a combined 21 tackles.

“I don’t think there’d be anyone else with a better makeup for it,” guard Zack Martin said. “He’s as humble as they come. As a rookie, you come in, you keep your mouth shut and play hard and he does that. He’s all over the place on the field making huge plays for us but you’d never really know it with the way he carries himself, which is awesome.”

Linebackers Dominating The Field

Two of the top three contenders for DROY are inside linebackers, a position which has not won the award since 2012 when the Panthers’ Luke Kuechly won.

7 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack, 1 PD, 1 FF… AND THAT'S JUST FROM TODAY!

Should @Dsleon45 be DROY?

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) November 19, 2018

The Colts’ Darius Leonard has been a contender for the award all year and for good reason. Forget leading all rookies in combined tackles, he’s leading the entire league with 104. He’s also added five sacks to his resume.

Vander Esch vs Leonard Season Stats

Vander Esch has been slowly closing the gap and ranks right behind Leonard in second for rookie tackling and tied for seventh overall.

After his 13-tackle and single-INT performance in the Cowboys’ Week 10 win over the Eagles, Vander Esch was named both NFL Rookie of the Week and NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Great instincts + great closing speed = 2nd in NFL with 61 solo tackles 👀

Rookie LB @VanderEsch38 has been key to the @dallascowboys defensive success this season!

(via @ShaunOHara60)#NFLPlaybook | #DallasCowboys https://t.co/dRfbxOLLnq

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 22, 2018

Is DROY A Legitimate Three-Horse Race?

With Vander Esch’s recent re-appearance among the favorites, it’s no longer a clear choice between Leonard or Chargers’ safety Derwin James.

If we look back to Kuechly’s DROY win in 2012, he finished the season with 164 combined tackles, one sack and two INTs. After ten games he had 97 combined tackles, meaning both Leonard and Vander Esch could be in line for similar totals.

Leighton Vander Esch has been a force against the run so far in his rookie season. pic.twitter.com/G0KY5aV9vf

— PFF (@PFF) November 13, 2018

Vander Esch presents the better value and could be a sentimental choice playing in Primetime games for “America’s Team”. So he is definitely worth a bet.