There are lots and lots of questions swirling around Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch these days. From two seasons worth of injury concerns that have overshadowed his transcendent rookie campaign… to the stockpile of new players at his position who have suddenly been brought to Dallas… to the club’s decision to decline the fifth-year option on his rookie contract… to recent rumors that assumed he’s on the shopping block in a trade scenario… it might seem to some on the outside that the writing is on the wall for the 25-year-old.

To Vander Esch, though, all that writing says the same thing. And it spells out an answer that’s perfectly clear.

“I’m just controlling what I can control, and the rest will take care of itself.”

That was the overarching theme of the former first-round draft pick’s comments to reporters following Thursday’s practice session. Vander Esch expressed some form of that it-is-what-it-is mentality no fewer than seven times in a twelve-minute press conference.

It’s obvious that he’s focused on one thing as he embarks on his fourth year in Dallas, as evidenced by a play in the day’s practice where he laid out to snag an interception of a Dak Prescott pass… and then didn’t get up off the turf for quite a few moments.

“Well, I dove for it and I think I hit the ground harder than I ever have,” Vander Esch said with a smile. “Knocked the wind out of me pretty good. But it was fun. I mean, I haven’t had an interception in a little while in practice, so it felt good.”

Hitting the ground harder than he ever has just to make a practice interception. Entering his fourth season as a pro. After missing 13 games over the past two years to injury. During a voluntary OTA.

That is Vander Esch’s current mindset in a nutshell.

“I mean, I think I’m probably going to get hurt more if I’m not playing hard, so if the ball’s in the air, I’m going to go get it. If it’s on the ground, I’m going to go get it. You’re going to get the most out of me every snap, so I’m not going to use injuries as an excuse to play half-[expletive].”

It would be easy to attribute at least some of Vander Esch’s familiar intensity to new concerns over his job security. Keanu Neal was added to the team in free agency and declared to be making a move to linebacker even before he had signed his deal. Then the Cowboys went out and drafted two highly-touted linebackers: Penn State’s Micah Parsons in the first round and LSU’s Jabril Cox in the fourth.

Rather than feel threatened, the Boise State product says he actually welcomes the competition the new guys are already bringing.

“I’m just pumped to be a part of a group that has the athleticism and the potential that we have going into this year,” the 2018 Pro Bowler said. “I mean, I think it’s fun: competing with each other, not against each other. I think that’s the thing about being a good teammate. You’re not trying to compete against somebody that’s on your team. You’re trying to compete with them, because I think that makes everyone better.”

An improved Vander Esch will be in line for a hefty payday once he finishes out the 2021 season, the last of his rookie contract. Whether or not that contract will be with the Cowboys has been the subject of great debate, at least externally.

Last month, team chief executive officer Stephen Jones blamed the decision to decline Vander Esch’s fifth-year option on a combination of the player’s injury history and an uncertain salary cap situation, but said that the club intends “to keep Leighton around here for the next four or five years.”

Vander Esch says he’s taking the front office at their word.

“Stephen called me,” he relayed to media members. “We had a great conversation. I’ve got nothing but respect for the Joneses. I mean, they’re the ones that took a chance on me to begin with, so I trust in their plan. I think we have a great thing going; our relationship is amazing. Like I said, I’m just controlling what I can control. I’ve got no control over the logistics of who pays who what. It is what it is.”

And what it is right now is a college walk-on who became an NFL first-round pick and then a fan favorite and Pro Bowler in his rookie season having to prove himself all over again, in a new defense and with a crop of young guys in a position to edge him out.

Vander Esch says he’s up for the challenge. His head coach agrees.

“He’s in great shape,” Mike McCarthy said of Vander Esch on Thursday. “I think he looked good in my time with him. This is the best shape overall- because he was coming off an injury this time last year. So, just getting himself ready for the endurance for a full NFL season. I think everything else will take care of itself. He’s been here every day. I love his work ethic, I love his approach. I think he’s top-notch in every category when it comes to preparing for an upcoming football season. I think the course that he’s on, I think that everything that’s in front of him will be attainable.”

While Vander Esch says he’s subscribing to an it-is-what-it-is philosophy, new coordinator Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme should allow him to reach back into his past, too, hopefully hearkening back to his breakout rookie season.

“I’m going back to pretty much to my old role [from] the first two years, which I think is what it should have been last year. But I think it’s just going to be a lot more familiar to what we were used to running: running and hitting and making plays and having fun.”

For those keeping track, those are all things Leighton Vander Esch can control.