Travis Frederick - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys Sign Travis Frederick To Extension

August 14th, 2016 at 3:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys have signed Travis Frederick to an extension that will make him the highest-paid center in the NFL, the club announced. It’s a six-year, $54.6MM deal that includes $18.2MM fully guaranteed, and Frederick can earn $28MM in the first three seasons.

Frederick has started 48 consecutive games to begin his career after entering the league as a first-round pick in 2013. The centerpiece of the NFL’s best offensive line, Frederick has earned a Pro Bowl nod and been named a second-team All Pro in each of the last two seasons. In 2016, Frederick graded as the league’s best center, according to Pro Football Focus, outperforming players such as Joe Berger, Matt Slauson, and Rodney Hudson.

The 25-year-old Frederick had been slated to earn only $1.34MM in base salary during the upcoming season before his pay jumped in 2017 thanks to Dallas exercising his fifth-year option. His new annual average, however, means that Frederick will earn $9.1MM per season, which will place him slightly above Alex Mack, who will earn $9MM annually under the terms of his new Falcons contract. Frederick ranks second in terms of guaranteed money among centers, with his $18.2MM placing him behind Mack ($20MM).

The Cowboys now have several key members of their offensive line locked up for years to come, as Frederick joins Tyron Smith — who is signed through 2023 — as players that Dallas has extended in recent years. Left guard La’el Collins and right guard Zack Martin, meanwhile, are both eligible to negotiate new deals at the end of the 2016 season.

Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link) first reported the deal and the fact that Frederick would become the league’s highest-paid center. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) reported the terms. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys, C Travis Frederick Talking Extension

August 4th, 2016 at 12:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have begun discussing an extension with center Travis Frederick, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones says (via Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News). Frederick is under control through the 2017 season thanks to his recently exercised fifth-year option. Dallas is hoping to lock him down for years beyond that point.

Frederick has started every game at center since the Cowboys took him in the first round of the 2013 draft. His rookie deal was a four-year, $6.87MM contract, as prescribed by his draft slot. This year, he’ll make $1.34MM before jumping up to $8.821MM in 2017. Dallas will presumably try to smooth out that cap hit in ’17 while giving him more long-term security on a multi-year pact. Two years ago, Dallas inked a team-friendly deal with left tackle Tyron Smith, who shares the same agent with Frederick.

The center has started 48 consecutive games, earning a Pro Bowl nod and a second team All-Pro selection in each of the last two seasons. Frederick is (literally) at the heart of the Cowboys’ stellar offensive line and they are taking every measure possible to keep that core in place.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Redskins, Cowboys

August 1st, 2016 at 6:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants still need help along their offensive line, and some within the organization are pushing to acquire recently-reinstated 49ers tackle Anthony Davis, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Davis, of course, is back with San Francisco after taking the 2015 season off, and while the 49ers are reportedly cognizant that Davis could retire again, the “sense” is the club wants to keep the former first-round pick on its roster rather than trade him. New York, though, would be a logical destination for Davis is the Niners change their tune, as Big Blue is current counting on journeyman Marshall Newhouse to man the right side.

Let’s take a look at more from the NFC East:

Although they won’t be targeting controversial defensive end Greg Hardy, the Redskins could still look to add a veteran edge presence before the season begins, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Who exactly Washington might got after is unclear, as most reports in the wake of Junior Galette‘s torn Achilles have detailed whom the club won’t sign. Hardy, Dwight Freeney, O’Brien Schofield, and Mike Neal have all been ruled out, as the Redskins would reportedly like to see how their younger pass-rushers perform in camp before bringing in an experienced option.
The Cowboys have traditionally locked up their core players, and the organization is hoping to add center Travis Frederick to that list. “Nothing scheduled, but pretty sure that certainly we’ll broach that and approach that with his team,” said executive vice president Stephen Jones, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “Travis has been great for us. Not only is he a great football player on the field who represents, as Jason [Garrett] said, with most of our guys [he’s] what you want off the field. He’s a guy we want to be around here.” Frederick is under control through the 2017 season courtesy of the fifth-year option.
Given the rash of suspensions that have taken a toll on their front seven, the Cowboys make the most sense as a landing spot for free agents Stephen Tulloch and Dwight Freeney, opines John Clayton of ESPN.com. Three key members of Dallas’ defense — Rolando McClain, Demarcus Lawrence, and Randy Gregory — are facing multi-game bans, while Gregory recently entered a treatment facility. Quarterback Nick Foles also seems like a logical fit for the Cowboys on paper, writes Clayton, but the club has already denied that it has any interest in the former Rams/Eagles signal-caller.

Cowboys Rumors: Lynch, Elliott, Trade Talks

April 29th, 2016 at 12:30am CST by Luke Adams

It was an interesting evening for the Cowboys, who used their fourth overall pick to make Ezekiel Elliott the first running back to come off the board in the top five since Trent Richardson in 2012. The team also made a run at trading back into the first round for Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, as owner Jerry Jones confirmed tonight. Here’s more on those efforts, along with a few more Cowboys updates:

The Cowboys offered their second- and third-round picks to the Seahawks for the No. 26 pick in an effort to nab Lynch, per Todd Archer and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It seems odd that the Seahawks wouldn’t have accepted that offer, since I’d think the 34th and 67th overall picks would have been a little more appealing than the 31st and 94th they got from Denver.
According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com and Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter links), the Cowboys made a strong effort to land Lynch, and Jerry Jones suggested that, in hindsight, the club might have been willing to match or exceed Denver’s offer. So perhaps Dallas would have been open to offering its second- and third-rounders, but never officially put that proposal on the table. It’s also possible that the Cowboys formally offered their second- and third-round picks, but wanted more in return than just the Seahawks’ first-rounder — or maybe Seattle simply didn’t want to move down an extra three spots and risk missing out on its top target(s).
The Cowboys considered sending their No. 4 overall pick to the Ravens for the No. 6 pick and a fourth-rounder, tweets Adam Schefter. However, talks broke down due to the fact that Baltimore would have been moving up for Elliott, and the Cowboys didn’t want to miss out on the running back, tweets Clarence Hill.
Elliott was the top-rated player on the Cowboys’ board and was the club’s top-graded running back in several years, according to executive VP Stephen Jones (Twitter link via Ed Werder).
Before the draft got underway, the Cowboys re-signed guard Ronald Leary to his RFA tender, and exercised the 2017 option for center Travis Frederick. According to Stephen Jones, the Cowboys would consider trading Leary during the draft to allow him to start somewhere. Jones also indicated the club wants to lock up Frederick to a longer-term deal (Twitter links via Clarence Hill).

Cowboys Exercise Option On Travis Frederick

April 28th, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

APRIL 28: The Cowboys have formally exercised Frederick’s 2017 option, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, who adds that the team would like to lock up the standout center to a long-term contract at some point.

APRIL 21: The Cowboys will exercise their fifth-year option on center Travis Frederick in the next few days, sources tell David Moore of The Dallas Morning News. The move has been expected and does not come as a surprise.

Frederick has started every game at center since the Cowboys took him in the first round of the 2013 draft. Once Dallas locks him down through the 2017 season with the option, they’ll likely start discussing a long-term pact with him.

Frederick’s rookie deal was a four-year, $6.87MM contract, as prescribed by his draft slot. This year, he’ll make $1.34MM before jumping up to $8.821MM in 2017. Dallas will presumably try to smooth out that cap hit in ’17 while giving him more long-term security on a multi-year pact.

The Cowboys have until May 2nd to exercise the option, but they feel that they don’t need to take their time to deliberate. The center, who has started 48 consecutive games, has earned two Pro Bowl nods and has been named second team All-Pro in each of the last two seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys Links: Okoye, Sam, Murray

October 24th, 2014 at 12:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Amobi Okoye practiced for the first time yesterday, and the clock has officially begun ticking. The Cowboys have three weeks to decide whether they want to activate the former first-rounder or keep him on the reserve/non-football injury list.

Regardless, practicing was a big step in the right direction for the 27-year-old. Okoye is recovering from anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a brain condition that causes memory loss and seizures. This resulted in Okoye spending three months in a coma last year. Following such a traumatic experience, the defensive tackle was thrilled to return to the field (via Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com)…

“It was good, it was worth it,” said Okoye. “It was mixed emotions. It felt like it naturally was coming back. I’ve played six years in the league [and], it doesn’t take too long for stuff to come back to you.”

Linebacker Bruce Carter was impressed by his teammate’s determination to return to the game…

“He’s been through a lot,” Carter said. “His story is amazing. A guy like that who works real hard, I see him all the time working [with strength and conditioning coordinator Mike Woicik] one-on-one. Just to see him actually working with [us] and see it pay off is a great thing. I think he’s going to do great things for us.”

Let’s see what else is happening in the Cowboys organization…

Owner Jerry Jones attributed the release of Michael Sam to “a numbers game,” tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com. Jones clarified that Sam was great at practice and worked “very, very hard.”
Members of the Cowboys’ 2013 draft class are already contributing to the team, and Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com points to first-round pick Travis Frederick as the best of the bunch.
The Cowboys have enough money under the cap to fit a veteran, but Archer doesn’t believe the team is going to be active at the trade deadline.
Despite DeMarco Murray‘s hot start to the season, Bob Sturm of The Dallas Morning News would still move on from the veteran in free agency if the team could draft a stud running back like Georgia’s Todd Gurley. Since the team won’t have that foresight, Sturm believes the team should franchise the running back.

NFC East Links: Frederick, Romo, Murray, Foles, Boykin, Wilson

June 27th, 2014 at 9:14am CST by Matt Feminis

The Cowboys were criticized when they drafted center Travis Frederick 31st overall last year. In the immediate aftermath of the 2013 draft, Mel Kiper Jr. said (subscription required) Frederick was his 87th rated player and the team “drafted a player I thought they could have taken at least 30 spots later.” Mike Mayock had a third-round grade on Frederick, and called the selection “a little bit of a reach.” However, Frederick rewarded the Cowboys confidence by making the NFL All-Rookie Team, and he’s poised to anchor the offensive line for the remainder of the decade, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

Here’s a few more NFC East links:

Tony Romo‘s 2013 season was put under the microscope by Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo, who concluded Romo excelled with a clean pocket, but was among the league’s worst when pressured.
Cowboys writers weighed in on the future of DeMarco Murray, and all of them mentioned the running back’s need to disprove durability concerns. However, Bryan Broaddus stated, “regardless of what [Murray] does in 2014, it will most likely not get this front office to pay him what he believes he is worth.” Broaddus also cited Marion Barber as a cautionary tale and one that might dissuade Dallas from investing heavily into Murray’s future.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles got the same treatment from PFF. Interestingly, 92.5 percent of his dropbacks came from the shotgun or pistol formation, and he rated as one of the league’s best deep-ball throwers. Foles also threw the league’s highest percentage of crossing routes and screens.
Tim McManus of Phillymag.com explains why the Eagles desire big, long cornerbacks to play outside, while Brandon Boykin (six interceptions and league-leading 13.3 coverage rating from PFF) will likely remain a slot defender extraordinaire.
Giants running back David Wilson, recovering from neck surgery, is hoping to be cleared for contact on July 21 when he undergoes a crucial medical examination, writes ESPN’s Dan Graziano.