Cowboys breathing easier after offensive starter visits spine doctor in Los Angeles

After a largely event-free training camp as far as major injuries are concerned, the Dallas Cowboys faced a scare of sorts regarding the health of center Travis Frederick just days before they head home to Texas.

Frederick, a perennial Pro Bowler and undisputed leader up front as the center and play caller, missed practice Wednesday to head to Los Angeles for tests on a sore shoulder.

Coach Jason Garrett said Frederick had been bothered by stingers in practice and the team wanted to get it checked out by Dr. Robert Watkins, a world-renowned spine specialist.

The Cowboys got some good news when Frederick showed up on the sideline midway through the afternoon practice.

He said he received positive news from the doctor that was no long-term concern about his shoulder.

He said rest is part of the solution right now.

“Stingers deal with neck and I wanted to make sure I was safe for the long term,” Frederick said. “We will take it as it goes. I just need time to rest. Got to get the inflammation out of there.”

Frederick didn’t know when he would return to practice. He certainly ruled out of Saturday’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium.

Guard/center Joe Looney practiced with the first team in Frederick’s place Wednesday and will likely start against the Bengals.

The Cowboys break training camp in Oxnard on Friday.

The situation at center is even more acute for the Cowboys because backup Marcus Martin, who also plays guard and center, was placed on injured reserve earlier in the week with torn ligaments in his big toe.

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 3:56 PM.