For as much discussion as there has been about the Dallas Cowboys' impressive defensive line depth, the linebacking corps hasn't been as lucky.
Former All-Pro Sean Lee missed Week 1, and that was likely just the tip of the iceberg. The oft-injured linebacker underwent surgery for a hernia last week, per NFL Network's Jane Slater. Though Lee would have been eligible to come off of the IR in Week 4, Slater estimates that the 34-year-old probably won't be available until the middle of October after undergoing this procedure.
Lee's absence is more notable now that Leighton Vander Esch is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a broken collarbone that he suffered in the Cowboys' Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan earlier this week that he doesn't believe it would be fair to suggest that Vander Esch is injury prone. Whether he is or he isn't, the Cowboys will be without the 24-year-old for at least a month-and-a-half, it would seem.
Thanks in part to a controversial offensive pass interference call against Michael Gallup, the Cowboys lost to the Rams on Sunday Night Football in Week 1. With a depleted linebacking corps, they'll return to Arlington this weekend to host the 0-1 Atlanta Falcons.