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Cowboys 'Have a Chance to Go Far' in 2020 NFL Season, Says Travis Frederick
May 25, 2020
Former Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick believes his ex-team will "go far" even without him in 2020.
"The team is set up extremely well," he said, per Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "The front office did a great job of getting people in place. On paper, it looks like a really, really solid team. They have a chance to go far."
He also said he can "hopefully provide some outside guidance" and believes "whoever takes over at center will be well-cared for."
Frederick announced his retirement in March, meaning Joe Looney will likely assume the starting center role. Dallas also selected rookie Tyler Biadasz out of Wisconsin in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft, but Looney started all 16 games in 2018 when Frederick was sidelined with Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Even after missing the entire 2018 campaign with the autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system, Frederick made his fifth career Pro Bowl last year.
Pro Football Focus noted he has been the most valuable center in the league since he entered the NFL in 2013, so the Cowboys will be hard-pressed to replace him even with an experienced option in Looney.
While the Cowboys will be without Frederick, they still have Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield and two receivers in Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup who topped 1,100 receiving yards last year.
Football Outsiders also ranked the offensive line second in the league in run blocking and pass protection last season.
If Looney handles the role of starting center and the rest of the offense lives up to its potential, Frederick's assessment that the team can make a deep run could come true.