However, the Cowboys must be prepared for every situation and just who lines up at center and guard for Dallas is something to keep an eye. For instance, is it possible that Frederick and Costa could both be starting on the Cowboys offensive line in 2013?
The answer is yes and the idea isn’t that far-fetched. All that needs to happen is for Phil Costa to have a really good training camp and forcing the Cowboys coaching staff to make a decision. Let’s not forget that Costa was having a very good season, admittedly in limited action, before he got hurt in 2012. He graded out extremely high when he managed to play last year and his work in the weight room for a full off-season proved to make Costa into a good player. The injury derailed a promising year for Costa.
But let’s not kid ourselves, Frederick is the better player and even though he has yet to play a game in the NFL he has more natural size and skill than Costa does. There’s a reason the Cowboys drafted Frederick earlier than most experts expected and it was because they believe he’s ready to play right away. There is very little debate about that.
The biggest reason there’s a possibility that Frederick and Costa could be starting at the same time is the Cowboys play at guard. Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings didn’t live up to expectations last year and it’s very possible the Cowboys may figure out just how well Frederick plays at guard. The goal is to get your best five linemen on the field working together and if the combination is Costa starting at center and Frederick starting at guard, then so be it.
The good news is we’re a long way from determining if that’s the case and the Cowboys have plenty of options to explore before turning Frederick into a starting guard. David Arkin will be given another long look and the Cowboys continue to speak highly of Ronald Leary, so Dallas shouldn’t have trouble finding a suitable starting guard combination before looking to Frederick as one of their options.
We all know the Cowboys drafted Frederick to start and every word out of Dallas is that unless something crazy happens, he will be starting somewhere on the offensive line in 2013. Let’s hope it’s at center and the Cowboys don’t have to kill two birds with one stone.
