Cowboys make Travis Frederick NFL’s highest-paid center
The Dallas Cowboys have reached an extension with Travis Frederick that will make him the highest-paid center in the NFL, sources confirmed Saturday.
The Cowboys and Frederick agreed to a six-year, $56.4 million extension with $28.2 million guaranteed ($18.2 million fully guaranteed). Miami’s Mike Pouncey had the highest overall value at $52.15 million with $22 million guaranteed, and Atlanta gave Alex Mack the most guaranteed money for a center — $28.5 million of a five-year, $45 million deal this off-season.
The Cowboys made no secret when training camp opened that they’d like to reach an extension with Frederick.
Frederick’s agent, Joe Panos, visited camp early on, and executive vice president Stephen Jones said at the time they were working toward a mutually-beneficial extension. The Cowboys want to keep what many believe is the best O-line in tact for years to come, and made a similar move by extending left tackle Tyron Smith with an eight-year deal in 2014.
Right guard Zack Martin will be a candidate for an extension next year.
“I don’t know how many different ways we can say it, but it’s the strong point of our football team,” Jones said. “The amazing thing about it is it’s not only a strength in terms of on the field, but they represent everything we want in terms of the work ethic and what they do off the field. So just a great group to try and keep them all together.”
Frederick, the Cowboys’ first-round pick in 2013, has started all 48 games in his career and has been selected to the past two Pro Bowls. The Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option earlier this off-season, guaranteeing him $8.8 million in 2017.
Throughout training camp, Frederick has said his focus has been on football, not his contract.
“I want to be the best player that I possibly can be and hopefully be the best center in the league, but it’s all very opinion-based,” Frederick said. “To me, it’s about reaching and trying to attain perfection. Perfection, if you talk to anybody, you’re never actually going to get there, so it’s continuing to improve on the little things, seeing the things you’re deficient at, the things that I got beat on.
“If I can eliminate those things from my game and make myself a better player, I’m going to be able to help our offense be better and ultimately the goal is a Super Bowl. It has nothing to do with individual accolades such as the Pro Bowl, All-Pro or any of that. We want to win the Super Bowl.”
Starters sit
Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Tyron Smith were among the starters who sat out the preseason opener at Los Angeles.
This is something the Cowboys have done in recent years, as the stars don’t require the game action as much as some of the younger players. Plus, there is no reason for the team to expose them to a potential injury in essentially a meaningless game.
Wide receiver Dez Bryant did play, going one series with the offense. He caught two passes from rookie Dak Prescott, highlighted by a 10-yard TD connection.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is nursing a tight hamstring and sat out practice last week, was the other offensive starter who sat out.
On the defensive side, tackle Tyrone Crawford, end DeMarcus Lawrence, cornerback Orlando Scandrick and linebacker Sean Lee were out. All four of them practiced this week, but the team is taking a cautious approach given their injury history.
Defensive tackle Terrell McClain, linebacker Justin Durant and rookie defensive end Charles Tapper were among the other notable players who sat out the preseason opener.
Green determined
Cowboys offensive tackle Chaz Green had a forgettable rookie season.
He underwent hip surgery in the off-season, sidelining him during training camp and the first nine weeks last year. Green worked his way back into practice the final five weeks, but had yet to make his NFL debut.
Until Saturday night.
Green was in the starting lineup when the Cowboys played their preseason opener against the Rams.
Green, a third-round pick out of Florida in 2015, is pushing hard to get there this season and is the odds-on favorite to win the swing tackle job. Green had been expected to compete with veteran Charles Brown for the job before Brown retired prior to camp.
“That’s the goal [to win the swing tackle job],” Green said. “I’m out here trying to be the best that I can each and every day and let the chips fall where they may. I’m just trying to go out there and put my best foot forward.”
Green made the most of his opportunities last week when he got first-team reps with left tackle Tyron Smith and right tackle Doug Free each having “veterans” days. He then played well in the Blue/White Scrimmage, evident by Jones pointing him out in particular afterward.
“I noticed Chaz Green the last couple of days really picked up his game when he got a chance to go for Tyron and go for Doug,” Jones said. “You know, those are big deals for those young guys.”
Green is a more natural right tackle, playing that mostly in his time at Florida. He also has experience as a swing tackle, a role he filled early in his college career.
This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Cowboys make Travis Frederick NFL’s highest-paid center."