While it’s not certain when Travis Frederick will be back as the Cowboys’ starting center, the team will not place him on IR.
The All-Pro center’s unknown timetable has prompted the Cowboys to keep him on their active roster rather than using an IR-stash strategy, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Placing Frederick on IR, which was a consideration going into the weekend, would shelve the 27-year-old blocker for at least eight weeks. The Cowboys are hoping the acclaimed snapper can return in weeks rather than months, so this decision could signal the team believes an early-season return is still possible.
Cowboys brass deemed the prospect of a Frederick return within the next eight weeks as being more important than gaining a roster spot at this point, Moore notes. The Guillain-Barre syndrome diagnosis has Frederick on the mend and Joe Looney set to begin the season as the Cowboys’ first-string center.
The Cowboys utilized a similar tactic with Tony Romo in 2016, carrying their then-franchise quarterback on the active roster to start the season despite a diagnosis that stood to keep him out for more than two months.
Frederick traveled with the team to its fourth preseason game, per Moore, and is being tested weekly to determine his progress. Evaluations with a neurologist will occur as Frederick tries to return to the field.