FRISCO, Texas – Last year, Cowboys center Travis Frederick wondered about his own football future as he spent months recovering from a rare auto-immune disease known as Guillain-Barre syndrome.
"I was certainly focused on the recovery portion of it, but you have to come to the realization that you might not ever play again," Frederick said. "I didn't know if I was going to be able to be back and able to play at any level, let alone a high level."
Not only has Frederick returned, he feels good about his progress and level of play as the Cowboys wrap up training camp.
The Sept. 8 opener is less than two weeks away. It'll be Frederick's first regular-season action since Dec. 31, 2017.
"I'm really excited. It's good to be back," he said. "Everybody was excited about the (preseason opener) San Fran game because it was the first time I was back out there, but there's something different about the regular season and being part of the grind and hopefully the journey to where we want to go.
"Having sat out of that, it's lonely. You feel really separated from the team. As much as I tried to be around and tried to be in the mix, I wasn't even close. It makes you really realize how awesome that is to be a part of that. And I think that's really what I'm looking forward to most."
Frederick has taken the first-team reps at center throughout camp and preseason. The starters got far fewer snaps in three combined preseason games than they'll get in Week 1 against the Giants.
But Frederick is pleased with his improvement physically throughout the offseason working with the strength and athletic training staff.
"I feel good about the progression and I know that I need to continue to improve throughout the season," he said.
