Dallas Cowboys: 5 Early bold predictions for the 2020 season
4. Biadasz starts at center, finishes in PFF top 10
Longtime center Travis Frederick returned to the field for the 2019 season after missing the previous year with an auto-immune disorder. It was a great story but one that ended quickly when the former All-Pro made the shocking announcement that he’s retiring this offseason. However, his decision for his health can’t be faulted by anyone.
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While losing a player of Frederick’s caliber is not easy to handle for any team, it’s well worth noting that he was simply average in his return to the Cowboys last season. The Wisconsin product graded out at just 69.9 according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which essentially made him a league-average player at the position. Prior to that, he was consistently one of the best centers in the NFL.
Now as the Cowboys look to replace him, they have two obvious options in veteran Joe Looney, who filled in for Frederick in the 2018 season, and 2020 fourth-round pick Tyler Biadasz, also out of Wisconsin. While Looney may be the safer pick, I see Biadasz, a player who was considered a top-50 player had he come out for the 2019 draft and struggled with injuries last season but is now healthy, winning the job in camp.
Biadasz is not only going to win the starting job as Frederick’s replacement but he’s going to make an impact right away and keep the Cowboys offensive line as a bonafide strength. If he can regain his 2018 college form, he’s a terrifically athletic lineman with great technique and mobility that should make him a stud and one of the top 10 centers in the NFL according to PFF grading.