The Dallas Cowboys are set to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football, and they will have linebacker Leighton Vander Esch on the field.

Star Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was lost for the season due to a gruesome ankle injury versus the New York Giants last week. That is a huge blow to the Cowboys and certainly changes the outlook for the remainder of the season.

On the positive side of things, the Cowboys will be welcoming back star linebacker Leighton Vander Esch to the fold. Vander Esch has not suited up since the first quarter of week one against the Los Angeles Rams, where he suffered a collarbone injury that landed him on injured reserve.

Cowboys officially placed Dak Prescott on IR and activated LB Leigthon Vander Esch to the 53-man roster from IR.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 19, 2020

Vander Esch showed superstar potential during his rookie season, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2018. LVE was a huge reason why the Cowboys defense was so successful during that season, as both he and Jaylon Smith formed a quality pairing at the linebacker position.

The Dallas Cowboys defense has been extremely bad this season, ranking towards the bottom in total defense, pass defense, and run defense. Mike Nolan's unit is dead last in the National Football League in scoring defense. That's obviously not ideal and needs to change if the Cowboys are going to start winning games.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said that the linebacker has been able to practice without any issues. Vander Esch has a history of missing games with injury during his young career, so here is hoping that he is fully healthy and ready to go without any setbacks.

Vander Esch's return will not improve the Cowboys defense overnight, but he is clearly an upgrade on anything else the team is currently putting out on the field right now.

Featured image via Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports