Dallas Cowboys could trade down, draft new center in first round
The Dallas Cowboys lost Travis Frederick to retirement this offseason and they reportedly could trade down in the 2020 NFL Draft to fill the void early.
For as busy an offseason as the Dallas Cowboys have seen thus far, there is still plenty more to come. Many hope a long-term contract for Dak Prescott is coming, locking in the quarterback to join Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Jaylon Smith and other key building blocks on the roster for the foreseeable future. Of course, they also need to replace Travis Frederick.
A first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin, Frederick was a three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler with the Cowboys. Unfortunately, the center was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome in 2018, causing him to miss that season. It also led to his shocking retirement at just 29 years old in March.
While the Cowboys have Joe Looney on the roster still, the offensive line has always been a point of pride in Dallas. As such, Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones could look to get aggressive in filling the hole left by Frederick’s retirement. Perhaps as aggressive as using their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to address the need.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
NBC Sports’ Peter King in his Football Morning in America column on Monday noted a source that said the following about the Cowboys potentially using a first-round pick on Cesar Ruiz out of Michigan, the top-rated center in the draft on most people’s boards:
"“It’s too high for a center,” said one personnel wag, “but they love the Michigan center (Cesar Ruiz), and they could trade down a few spots and still be sure of getting him.” Interesting: a plug-and-play heir to Travis Frederick."
The report makes sense on two levels. For one, the No. 17 pick is indeed too high to take Ruiz, so the Cowboys would have to try and trade down if that’s their top interest in the first round. In the same light though, it would make sense for Dallas to want to find an immediate plug-and-play replacement for Frederick with another late first-round pick.
What now becomes the question is how likely trading down for Ruiz would be. There are sure to be interested parties with several teams at the end of the first round looking to target wide receivers, cornerbacks or linebackers likely to come off the board in the top 20 selections. So the ability to trade back is there.
It’s less certain that the Cowboys would want to trade down for a center. Instead, they could look to target a player like K’Lavon Chaisson to complement DeMarcus Lawrence on the edge. They could look at a player like C.J. Henderson or Kristian Fulton to replace the departed Byron Jones. Maybe safeties Xavier McKinney or Grant Delpit could be in their crosshairs. It’s impossible to know.
Next. 2020 NFL Mock Draft: Redskins make splash at QB. dark
The biggest takeaway should be that trading down for Ruiz is likely a possibility for the Dallas Cowboys. However, it could ultimately come down to how the 16 selections before them play out as to whether or not that’s the direction they end up going. But the good news for the Jones family is that they clearly have a bevy of quality options.