Cowboys rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is headed to the Pro Bowl. He will replace Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.
Everson Walls was the Cowboys’ last rookie defender to play in the NFL’s all-star game, playing in the Pro Bowl in 1981.
Vander Esch led the Cowboys with 176 tackles, setting a rookie team record. He also made three tackles for loss, five quarterback pressures, two interceptions and six pass breakups.
He will join teammates Ezekiel Elliott, Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, Byron Jones and DeMarcus Lawrence and the Cowboys coaches in Orlando. Martin, though, is expected to skip the game with a knee injury that bothered him most of the season.