Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett confirmed Leighton Vander Esch will undergo neck surgery and will be out for the remainder of the season.
Garrett said the linebacker underwent an evaluation Monday and it was determined a "minor surgery" was needed.
Vander Esch missed the better part of seven games this season due to neck issues.
"Leighton did a really good job when he was healthy, he's a good football player and I thought he continued to grow from his experience last year," Garrett said Monday. "Obviously [he] did a lot of good things for us as a rookie and we feel like he got better."
Vander Esch was named the Pro Bowl last season, but was forced to sit out the last five games.
Unfortunately he hasn't played as much as we would have liked and has been dealing with this neck injury and we're going to do the right thing by him. This is the right thing for his career, and we do believe he'll be back healthy and ready to play at a really high level."
Garrett said Vander Esch would be placed on the injured reserve list.
