Editor’s Update: The Dallas Cowboys shared the following statement from Travis Frederick on Aug. 22:
“After a very extensive examination and discovery process over the past few weeks, I have been diagnosed with having Guillain Barre Syndrome which is an auto immune disease. In the last 48 hours, I have received two treatments that address my condition, and I am feeling much better from an overall strength perspective. I will continue these treatments over the next few days. I am very optimistic about my condition and the immediate future, as I have been told that the illness was detected at a fairly early stage. My doctors have told me that it is not possible to determine a time table for a return to the field right now, but I am hopeful that I will be able to play as soon as possible.
“I am deeply grateful for all of the people who have expressed concern for me throughout the past four weeks, and my teammates and the Cowboys organization have provided me and my family with tremendous support.”
By Dwain Price, NDG Special Sports Contributor
FRISCO – With their regular season opener less than three weeks away, the Dallas Cowboys are busy dealing with two prominent injuries on what is generally regarded as the best offensive line in the National Football League.
An MRI revealed no structural damage to the left knee guard Zack Martin hyperextended during last Saturday’s 21-13 preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Also, center Travis Frederick has been visiting with specialists while trying to discover the source of stingers he’s been dealing with in his neck.
The Cowboys are very hopeful that both Martin and Frederick will be available when they open the season on Sept. 9 at Carolina.
The anchor of the Cowboys’ offensive line, Martin has started all 67 games during his NFL career and has made the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons.
“Obviously you never want to NOT be out,” Martin said. “But if you had to pick (a time to be sidelined) this would be the time of the year, so as soon as I’m ready to roll for week one, it’ll be good.
“I’m pretty confident in the work that I put in this training camp and the reps that I’ve gotten. And again, I’m just going to keep working to get ready and be ready for week one.”
Last month Martin signed a massive six-year, $84 million contract with the Cowboys which makes him the highest paid guard in the NFL. For now, h wants to make sure it was money well spent by owner Jerry Jones.
“Obviously the Joneses made a huge investment in me and I want to be able to be out there and fulfill all of that, so it definitely crossed my mind,” Martin said, referring to when his injury occurred. “But very quickly after they examined me they felt that it was nothing serious.”
Martin is one of the players crucial to helping quarterback Dak Prescott stay upright when he goes back to pass. While Martin laid on the ground, Prescott said he was “scared” thinking about the possibilities.
“It’s hard in that moment to think of all the possibilities that could be going on right now with such a great player and great guy,” Prescott said. “A guy that’s put in so much work and done everything to make sure his game is exactly where it is.
“So to see that wasn’t good, wasn’t fun. But you do, you have to move on, you’ve got to go and try to make some plays, even in those moments.”
Preseason playing time is a delicate balance for vets and rookies
The Cowboys (0-2) only have two preseason games left – Sunday at home at 8 p.m. against the Arizona Cardinals and Aug. 30 on the road against the Houston Texans. And they’re not sure if running back Ezekiel Elliott or Prescott or many of the starters will play against the Cardinals.
“For years it’s always been a question about what do you do, how much do you play them, what’s the playing progression, all of that,” coach Jason Garrett said. “And to me it changes every year with what you want to do with your team, maybe how young your team is, how veteran your team is, particularly positions, this guy needs to play more because he hasn’t played a lot lately. All of those things.
“So we’ll have those discussions as the week goes on and try to do what’s best for our team going forward.”
“I definitely want to get some more plays under my belt. I got my feet wet, but I really want to get out there for an extended amount of time.”
“It’s about getting out of that pocket and it was a great job by my receivers, especially Terrance, of staying with me and fighting and getting back open and I was running that time.”
Meanwhile, the game against Cincinnati was the first time defensive end Randy Gregory has played in a game since Jan. 1, 2017. The NFL reinstated Gregory this summer after he was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for the third time.
A second-round pick by the Cowboys in 2015, Gregory said he wasn’t nervous in his first game back as he tries to get his promising NFL career back on track.
“I had fun,” Gregory said. “It was a short time out there, but I expect more from myself.
The Cowboys know Gregory could be a valuable chip on their defensive line.
“It’s unbelievable to see what he’s overcome and how he’s played,” linebacker Sean Lee said. “If you watched him at practice this week it was so fun to see his talent on the football field and his joy for the game.”
Elsewhere on defense, safety Xavier Woods suffered a hamstring injury against the Bengals that has Cowboys coaches concerned, and backup safety Jameill Showers has a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
“He did pull his hamstring and we feel like its significant enough that he’s going to miss some immediate time,” Garrett said in reference to Woods. “We’ll just see how he progresses day by day.”
A more versatile Dak adds a new tool to offensive strategy
In the Cowboys’ two preseason games, Prescott has more than done his part in making plays. The third-year signal-caller is 13-of-18 for 125 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and has led the Cowboys to 17 points during the four drives he’s been on the field.
Against the Bengals, Prescott had one play where he did a pirouette out of the backfield and rolled to his left before finding Terrance Williams in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown. It appears as though the Cowboys will use Prescott’s mobility even more as a weapon this season.
“It just gives us another avenue, I guess,” Prescott said. “Obviously I’m getting out of the pocket any time in the red zone. Every quarterback tries to do that when their first reads aren’t necessarily there.
Training camp winding down
In the meantime, the Cowboys have broken camp at Oxnard, CA, and are now practicing at the headquarters at The Star in Frisco. They even had a pair of night practice sessions at the Ford Center this past Monday and Tuesday that were open to the fans.
“You reflect all the way to when you started playing football – Pop Warner or in high school,” Garrett said. “The night games and the night practices, you always had a little more juice to you.
“And whether it’s because you naturally get warmed up over the course of the day, or it be fans in the stands, I always have felt that that’s kind of an exciting deal for us.”
