The Cowboys have decided to keep Travis Frederick on the active roster going forward since no concrete timetable exists for his return, sources said.

Club officials have determined the Pro Bowl center's importance to the team outweighs the uncertainty of knowing when he can step back into the starting lineup. It's a clear indication the Cowboys hope - it should be stressed there's nothing stronger than hope at this stage - that Frederick may be able to return sooner than if he was placed on injured reserve.

Frederick suffers from Guillain-Barre syndrome, an auto immune disease that weakens the muscles and attacks the peripheral nervous system. The club has the option to place him on injured reserve, a move that would force him to miss at least the first eight games of the regular season. It can be argued that's the most prudent approach.

But the Cowboys have chosen to go a different route. If Guillain-Barre has imposed no timetable on Frederick entering the regular season, why should the club? The simple act of carrying him on the active roster suggests the Cowboys believe there's a chance he can return before the team faces Philadelphia on Nov. 11.

This approach isn't unprecedented. The Cowboys kept Tony Romo on the active roster two years ago even though it was known a compression fracture to the L1 vertebra would likely keep the quarterback out for at least two months.

The difference: Romo had a timeframe in place, played the sport's most important position and was being replaced by a rookie in Dak Prescott. Frederick has no timeframe, is a center and will be replaced by a veteran in Joe Looney.

Is Looney as good as Frederick? No. Few centers in the league are. But he's considered a capable replacement.

The Cowboys are walking something of a tight rope here. With three quarterbacks and four tight ends, carrying a center who won't play for the foreseeable future leaves a razor-thin margin of error for the team to absorb or compensate for any more injuries on the offensive side of the ball.

Frederick spent last week around the team and accompanied the Cowboys to Houston for their final preseason game. He's being put through a series of weekly exercises to determine his progress and will be evaluated intermittently by his neurologist as he works his way back.

Frederick tolerated his first week of rehab and responded well, a source said, well enough that the Cowboys are willing to keep him on the active roster.

Once Frederick was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre, he underwent a series of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy (IVIg) to boost his weakened immune system. Those sessions ended on Aug. 25. He issued a statement through the club three days earlier that said, in part:

"I am very optimistic about my condition and the immediate future, as I have been told that the illness was detected at a fairly early stage. My doctors have told me that it is not possible to determine a timetable for a return to the field right now, but I am hopeful that I will be able to play as soon as possible.''

This disease is insidious in the symptoms it reveals and when. If he suffers a setback or his strength and stamina doesn't return, the club will have to discuss whether it needs to change its course of action.

But for now, the Cowboys will carry Frederick on the active roster with the hope he'll be able to play before the first half of the season is done.

Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN