5 Biggest challenges the Dallas Cowboys face in 2020
By Randy Gurzi
3. Get the right center
Fans were a little surprised to learn of the retirement of center Travis Frederick, but apparently the front office knew there was a chance it was coming. The former first-round pick out of Wisconsin was named to five Pro Bowls since entering the league in 2013, including this past season.
Earning that trip to the All-Star game was huge for him as he proved he could come back from Guillain–Barré syndrome, which caused him to miss the entire 2018 season. However, Frederick felt he wasn’t 100 percent and didn’t think he could be. For that reason, he called it a career, which leaves a huge hole in the middle of the offensive line.
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In order to find success this season, Dallas needs to get the right player to take over for Frederick. Center is one of the more underrated positions on the offensive line and teams that don’t have a good player there completely understand this.
Fortunately for Dallas, they have a few options to consider. One is the returning veteran Joe Looney, who started all 16 games in Frederick’s absence in 2018. He likely has the edge right now but there are players who can compete with him.
Second-year player Connor McGovern missed his entire rookie season due to injury but Dallas selected him in the third round last year with expectations that he could contribute on their line in the near future. There’s also free-agent addition Cameron Erving, who started at center in Cleveland where he was a first-round pick. However, Erving is likely in Dallas to serve as the swing tackle, a role he held in Kansas City.
Lastly, there’s rookie Tyler Biadasz who Dallas traded up for in the fourth round of this past draft. Like Frederick, Biadasz was a star for Wisconsin. There’s a good chance that he could come in and take the job right out of the gate. They have plenty of options, they just need to make sure to find the right one.