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Leighton Vander Esch Resurfaces as DROY Contender with Short Odds

Ryan Metivier

by Ryan Metivier in NFL Football

Updated Apr 11, 2020 · 4:14 PM PDT

AT&T Stadium Dallas, Texas
The Dallas Cowboys are back in playoff contention largely thanks to their younger players stepping up. Photo by Drew Tarvin (Flickr) [CC License]
  • 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

Player Odds to win DROY
Darius Leonard -150
Derwin James +200
Leighton Vander Esch +550
Bradley Chubb +750
Denzel Ward +1600
Jaire Alexander +2200

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.

2024-25 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds Tracker
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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.

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.

“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.” ~ Dallas guard Zack Martin on Vander Esch’s rise to fame.

“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.

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
VS
Leonard
84 Tackles 104
0 Sacks 5.0
2 INTs 1
0 Forced Fumbles 4
8 Pass Def 4

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.

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.

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.

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