Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that linebacker Leighton Vander Esch will miss the rest of the 2023 season due to a neck injury.

During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan (h/t Jon Machota of The Athletic), Jones announced the news and added, "It's a very significant loss for us. We just wish him well."

The Cowboys placed Vander Esch on injured reserve last month after he injured his neck during Dallas' 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. He has since missed Dallas' past four games.

The 27-year-old Vander Esch has a history of neck ailments. He missed the team's last six games in 2019 with a nerve issue and the final three regular-season games of 2022 with a stinger.

Jones said Vander Esch's latest neck injury could be career-threatening.

"We just wish him well, and just the nature of his potential injury here causes me to really think longer term and beyond what it means for next week or beyond what it means for next month," he said, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "It has everything to do with what's best in his interest."

Dallas originally selected Vander Esch with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft out of Boise State. When healthy, he has been one of the Cowboys' defensive leaders.

As a rookie, Vander Esch racked up 140 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defended en route to a Pro Bowl berth and a second-team All-Pro selection.

Vander Esch has not been a Pro Bowler again since then, largely because he has missed significant time in four of the past five campaigns.

While Vander Esch played in all 17 games in 2021, he missed seven games in 2019, six in 2020, three in 2022 and will miss 12 games by the end of the 2023 season.

Last season was arguably Vander Esch's best season since his rookie year, as he recorded 90 tackles and one sack in 14 games. He followed that up with 30 tackles and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown in five games this season before getting injured.

Damone Clark has been Dallas' main traditional linebacker this season, starting all nine games and making a team-high 60 tackles.

Otherwise, the Cowboys have been piecing things together to replace Vander Esch, including hybrid linebacker/safety Markquese Bell making three starts.

In Sunday's win over the New York Giants, Rashaan Evans made his first start after getting called up from the practice squad for a third time.

Evans is a former Alabama standout who was selected 22nd overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2018 NFL draft. Since the Cowboys have already exhausted his practice squad call-ups, they will have to sign him to the 53-man roster for him to appear in another game this season.