Why Cowboys are keeping Travis Frederick, who is out indefinitely, on active roster

Possibly as soon as Monday, the Dallas Cowboys will move a player who made the final roster on Saturday to short-term injured reserve with the plan of bringing him back before the end of the season.

It’s just not who most thought it would be.

The Cowboys plan to move receiver Noah Brown to injured reserve and re-sign Deonte Thompson, who was cut on Saturday, according to sources. Brown missed all of training camp and the preseason with a hamstring injury.

What it also means, and obviously the bigger news, is that the Cowboys plan on keeping center Travis Frederick on the active roster, per sources.

Frederick is out indefinitely with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. There is no timetable for his return. And per a source, he can’t exercise outside in the heat for at least a month.

But the fact that the Cowboys are keeping the three-time Pro Bowler on the active roster is a good sign that the Cowboys are hoping to get him back sooner than later.

For a player to be eligible for short-term injured reserve, he had to be on the initial active roster, which is why Brown and Frederick made the roster Saturday. Teams are allowed to place two players in the injured reserve list with the designation to return.

But going on short-term injured reserve means a player would be out for the first eight weeks.

The Cowboys are hoping for the possibility of Frederick returning sooner than that. And out of respect to him and what he means to the team, they are giving him that opportunity.

He has already started treatment for the auto-immune disease. He has returned to team meetings and has already started doing to some light workouts.

Joe Looney is starting in Frederick’s place. And the team claimed Adam Redmond off waivers from Buffalo to back him up.

Thompson was given a $1 million to sign with the Cowboys as a free agent in the offseason. He missed the majority of camp with a strained Achilles. He returned two weeks ago but is clearly at the bottom of the receiver depth chart.

That made Thompson expendable on final cuts to keep Brown on the roster and with the plans of moving him to injured reserve.

The plan all along was to bring Thompson back when that move happened.

At least that is the plan..

This story was originally published September 2, 2018 at 8:14 PM.