FRISCO, Texas — Despite no firm timeline on when Travis Frederick might be able to play again, the Dallas Cowboys will keep the Pro Bowl center on the 53-man roster for the time being, according to sources.
On Aug. 22, Frederick was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects the nervous system after dealing with tingling and weakness in his arms since the early part of training camp.
He spent a few days in the hospital receiving treatments but he has begun to workout on a limited basis and has attended meetings.
Joe Looney will replace Frederick in the starting lineup and on Sunday claimed center Adam Redmond off waivers from the Buffalo Bills to give the Cowboys some depth at the position. Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin is also an option at center but only in an emergency.
Frederick will not play in next week’s season opener at the Carolina Panthers, missing the first game of his career.
With the final cuts completed, if the Cowboys place Frederick on injured reserve, he would be able to return after eight weeks. By keeping him on the active roster, the Cowboys are keeping open the possibility that he could return sooner, much the same way they did with Tony Romo in 2016 as the quarterback dealt with a compression fracture in his back suffered in the preseason.
It is possible the Cowboys could place wide receiver Noah Brown (hamstring) and defensive tackle Datone Jones (knee) on injured reserve as soon as Monday and re-sign players that were released over the weekend.
Teams are allowed to recall two players from injured reserve during the season.
Source : ESPN
