Dallas Cowboys: Travis Frederick shockingly retires after seven seasons
The Dallas Cowboys will no longer have a Pro Bowler at the center of their offensive line as Travis Frederick has announced his retirement after seven seasons.
The Dallas Cowboys have made several changes since last taking the field in 2019. The team parted ways with longtime head coach Jason Garrett. Mike McCarthy was hired to replace him and a new coaching staff was installed.
Just last week, stalwart players like tight end Jason Witten, safety Jeff Heath, and cornerback Byron Jones were all lost to free agency. Now, a staple of the Cowboys’ highly-touted offensive line has decided to hang up his cleats and retire.
On Monday, center Travis Frederick announced his retirement from the NFL after spending the past seven seasons with the Cowboys. Recently turning just 29-years old, Frederick was a former first-round selection out of Wisconsin in 2013 that would go on to receive three All-Pro nominations.
Frederick missed the entire 2018 season after he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. He returned last year to post his fifth-Pro Bowl season, playing in all 16-games for the Cowboys. Pro Football Focus gave Frederick’s performance in 2019 an overall grade of 69.9 and credited him with just one sack allowed and one penalty in 1,116 offensive snaps.
In a letter that Frederick shared via Twitter, the six-year veteran admitted he was no longer able to play on his highest-level. That he felt like his teammates deserved more and that he knows his days as a football player are now over.
In the latest player to surprisingly walk away from the game, Cowboys’ OL @tfrederick72 announced he is retiring from the NFL at the age of 29. pic.twitter.com/ymOfKNT987
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2020
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Without Travis Frederick, the Dallas Cowboys will likely turn to the man who replaced him in 2018 to now take the starting job at center. Joe Looney started all-16 games in Frederick’s absence two-years ago. An unrestricted free agent this offseason, Looney signed a one-year deal just last week to re-join the Cowboys.
Dallas also drafted center/guard Connor McGovern in the third round of last year’s draft. But the first-year offensive lineman spent his entire rookie season sidelined due to a pectoral injury.