Cowboys news: Travis Frederick believes that the Dallas Cowboys will go far in 2020

Retired Travis Frederick thinks Cowboys have chance to ‘go far’ - Grant Gordon, NFL

Travis Frederick may not be suiting up anymore, but he still has a lot of confidence in his former teammates.

“The team is set up extremely well. The front office did a great job of getting people in place,” Frederick said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Mac Engel. “On paper, it looks like a really, really solid team. They have a chance to go far.”

On paper, Joe Looney is likely to take over as the starting center just as he did in 2018 when Frederick missed the season as he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s nervous system in response to illness) and received treatment. Rookie Tyler Biadasz would also seem to be an option. Either way, Frederick will be watching closely and lending wisdom when he can.

“I’m excited to see them and watch them, and hopefully provide some outside guidance,” Frederick said. “I know whoever takes over at center will be well-cared for.”

Every NFL Team’s Biggest Potential Distraction for 2020 - Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report

If there is something that will prevent the Cowboys from reaching their aspirations, it could be the Dak Prescott contract saga if a deal does not get done.

Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott’s Contract

Dak Prescott’s agent has denied reports the quarterback turned down a five-year deal from the Dallas Cowboys, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. However, the fact remains that no deal is in place, and the franchise-tagged signal-caller has yet to sign his tender.

This means a holdout is possible, which would have an obvious impact on Dallas’ season. That’s likely why the Cowboys were quick to give veteran Andy Dalton a one-year, $3 million deal after he was released by Cincinnati.

Dalton is a quality bit of insurance for the Cowboys, but he does represent a sizable step back from what Prescott was in 2019—Prescott threw for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns. If he isn’t with the team when the season begins, Dallas’ playoff hopes could be in jeopardy.

However, even if Prescott does sign his franchise tender and start the season under center, his future in Dallas will remain a distraction. The only way the Cowboys are going to avoid it is by getting a long-term deal done before the July 15 deadline.

Dallas Cowboys Jamal Adams Trade: The Circumstances Have Changed - Reid Hanson, SportDFW

How have the circumstances regarding a potential trade for safety Jamal Adams changed?

The Dallas Cowboys offered a first rounder last season and the Jets rebuked, asking for more, much more, for their perennial All-Pro. Here we are seven months later wondering what’s changed.

The answer is, “plenty”.

It may seem like the same old long shot conjecture in play but the trade rumors and dual interest is real. Today we’ll look at three particular elements that have changed between last October and now and why a trade is much more likely today than it was yesterday.

Cowboys Can’t Afford Star Safety Jamal Adams - Mauricio Rodriguez, Inside The Star

It is possible that the price required to trade for Adams will be more than what Dallas wants to give up.

Despite signing free agent Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, safety remains a weak spot on the Cowboys’ defense. Paired with Xavier Woods, it’s hard to know what to expect from the position in the upcoming season. Fortunately, the team loaded up on offense.

But let’s get the price tag for Jamal Adams. Let’s remember for a second that the 2017 sixth-overall pick is only 24 years old. He has his entire career in front of him unlike Earl Thomas, who was heavily discussed by Cowboys Nation in the last couple of years.

The Jets, who are not shopping the player but are willing to pick up the phone for those teams interested, are reportedly asking for a first and third-round pick to trade Adams away.

That’s too much, even if we agree on how good the player is. Adams would demand an immediate contract extension, of course, which makes it an even less attractive deal.

Jamal Adams Wants a Trade to the Dallas Cowboys, Have the Jets Already Blown It? - Stephen Douglas, The Big Lead

Have the Jets blown a potential Adams deal?

Adams grew up in a Dallas suburb. The Cowboys desperately need a safety. Jerry Jones loves paying anyone not named Dak Prescott. It seems like a slam dunk, but this is the New York Jets we’re talking about. Will they do the smart thing and lock down a lock-down defender in the prime of his career? Or will they trade him for pennies on the dollar? And then there is the worst case scenario - they bungle this negotiation and watch him walk after the 2021 season?

Going on a decade since their last playoff appearance, you can guess which of those scenarios seems most likely. Especially considering how the franchise handled things the last time a star DB came to the end of his rookie deal.

Vic’s Picks: All the NFL season win-total predictions, including my 6 favorites - Vic Tafur, The Athletic

Will the Cowboys reach double-digit wins in 2020, or will the team struggle to adjust to Mike McCarthy’s coaching?

Dallas Cowboys — under 10, even

New coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott are going to have some growing pains, and banking on 10 wins in a tougher-than-you-think division seems risky. The Cowboys had a lot of turnover and the free-agent haul of defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe, safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, cornerback Daryl Worley, quarterback Andy Dalton and kicker Greg Zuerlein is underwhelming.

Cowboys going in opposite direction: Two key differences between Mike McCarthy and Jason Garrett - Tom Ryle, BTB

In case you missed it, Tom examines key differences between the previous head coach and the one now in charge.

Fixing what has ailed Dallas for years is about more than discrete situational decisions. It is about establishing a philosophy and culture that goes out and attacks the other team, and does so in a way that keeps them off balance and confused. Everything about McCarthy’s history shows that he knows how to do this. All we need now is for it to show up in real games.

Despite the ultimate disappointment of Garrett’s final 8-8 campaign, there were actually multiple indications that Moore is fully capable of delivering exactly what McCarthy wants. It started the first game of the season, which sent our spirits soaring before they would slowly be drug down and crushed as we watched it all slip away. It was a against a pretty bad New York Giants team, but the offense was certainly clicking. Almost 500 yards of total offense, over 400 through the air, solid on third downs, perfect in the red zone, and five touchdowns. And it continued in every other win, where the Cowboys scored at least 30 points in all of them. In every loss, they put up 24 or less, including some single-digit embarrassments.

It is a mystery why Moore was able to score in bunches exactly half the games, and seemed incapable the rest. One theory is that the team played scared against better opponents, and also were more timid on the road. The results seem to bear that out.

If you put all this together, then McCarthy’s approach would appear exactly what the doctor would order to cure the unevenness of Dallas’ offense. The weapons are still there, and may be better despite the loss of Travis Frederick. Getting what may be the best wide receiver in the draft in CeeDee Lamb certainly helps.

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