Dallas Cowboys plan to keep C Travis Frederick ahead of roster cuts

The Dallas Cowboys are hoping to keep ailing center Travis Frederick on their 53-man roster.

Frederick has been sidelined while dealing with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves, and no definitive timetable has been given for his return.

However, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told the team's official website that Frederick will remain on the active roster after it is whittled down to 53 players over the weekend.

"It's still too early. We won't make that decision probably until next Monday," Jones said. "As we all know, regardless, he'll be on the team when we cut to 53, and then we'll make decisions from there."

Although Frederick is a candidate for injured reserve, Dallas would have to wait until the cut deadline to make such a move or he would be lost for the rest of the season. A player can return to the active roster after eight weeks if he goes on IR after the cut deadline.

"There's always the option of IR, and then he can be one of two to return -- if we wanted to go with that," Jones said. "We may just keep him on the roster. That's still very much an option."

Frederick, 27, revealed that he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome on Aug. 22. He had missed multiple practices as he dealt with stinger-like symptoms in his neck and shoulder during training camp.

The four-time Pro Bowl selection reported improvement in how he was feeling after undergoing two treatments last week.

"Thank goodness we caught Travis' situation early, so that gives him a better chance. But we really just don't know right now," said Jones. "Obviously, first and foremost is his well-being for the long haul. That's what we'll take into account first, and once we feel good about that we'll look at the football aspect of it."