Why are the Cowboys optimistic about an earlier return for center Travis Frederick?
Every since Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome the official word has been there was no timetable for is return.
The focus was mainly on Frederick getting healthy as a person for himself and his family.
To that end, the Cowboys considered putting him on the short-term injured reserve list so they could manage his roster spot and give him all the time that he needed.
Going on short-term injured reserve would have sidelined him for the first eight weeks of the season at least, which wasn’t a big deal because the focus was on Frederick, the man.
That remains the over-arching theme but at some point in the past week, the plan changed for Frederick and the Cowboys.
He was not placed in the injured reserve list when the final roster came out on Saturday, nor was he moved to short-term injured reserve on Monday.
“We feel like, with the information we have right now, it was important to keep him on the 53 and give him the chance to come back as soon as he can,” coach Jason Garrett said. “If we get different information, we can make a different decision. With the information that we have right now, we thought that was the right decision for him and for our football team.
“It’s a day-by-day situation. All the reports I’ve gotten from him and from our doctors have been positive up to this point. I’ll say it again. We’re most concerned about him as a person in making sure he comes back healthy, as a husband, as a father, as a human being, before we get into the football thing. He’s been engaged with our football team. He’s been around us. He’s been in meetings. He traveled with us to Houston. He’s certainly been a part of our team. But we’ll take his situation day by day.”
So nothing has changed with the diagnosis, but what has encouraged the Cowboys has been Frederick’s positive response to the treatments. He has even started light workouts.
“It’s been positive since he started his treatments,” Garrett said. “And that’s given us cause to be optimistic. He’s working out on his own. He’s been able to handle the work so far. Again, you take it day by day. From my perspective, the information that I’ve gotten, there hasn’t been any drastic setbacks in any way. He’s getting into this program and hopefully, he’ll continue to respond the right way.”
When the Cowboys talk about giving him a chance to return, they say it out respect to what he’s done on the field and the leadership he has shown and continues to show in the locker room.
Garrett said it means a lot to have him around the team and it was his idea to accompany them to Houston for the final preseason game against the Texans and attend the team-bonding session at NASA.
“It really means a lot,” Garrett said. “And I can say that with all sincerity. Just to have him come in, be at the team meal the night before the game and then be part of the walk through and sit in on the meetings and be engaged with his teammates on the offensive line and throughout our team, I think that’s really, really important. Doesn’t surprise me one bit.”
“He reached out to me and said, ‘Coach, would you mind if I came to Houston. I’d like to be part of the visit to NASA and I’d like to be part of the team when we play on Thursday night.’ I said, ‘Would I mind? Are you kidding me? I’d absolutely love to have you be a part of it.’ He’s been very proactive and he’s taken the initiative of being back and being part of our team and trying to be involved in everything that we do short of going out on the practice field.”
Joe Looney will start in Frederick’s place. Adam Redmond was claimed off waivers from the Buffalo Bills to back him up.
This story was originally published September 4, 2018 at 2:47 AM.