Two hours and 45 minutes before kickoff Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys offensive linemen Zack Martin and Travis Frederick will take the field for their normal warmup.

Well, it’s normal for them, but not normal for a Pro Bowl guard and center.

For roughly 45 minutes, Martin will throw passes to Frederick and Frederick will throw passes to Martin. They will go through most of a wide receiver’s route tree.

“Honestly for us, it’s more fun way to kinda get warmed up,” Frederick said. “It kinda keeps us loose. Oftentimes, when you’re before a big game or anytime in the NFL, every game is a big game, a lot of times you can tighten up and kinda psych yourself out before the game, so for us to just run around, have some fun is a good way to keep loose before the game as well as get warmed up and kinda open the lungs up.”

Seeing a 318-pound center run corner and post routes while catching passes from a 315-pound guard, can be entertaining.

But it’s something Martin and Frederick take serious. A little bit anyway.

“I have a decent arm,” Martin said. “I can throw it pretty good.”

Martin’s favorite throw? A flag route to the corner of the end zone to Frederick.

“He climbs the ladder,” Martin said.

Like Dez Bryant?

“Exactly like Dez,” Martin said.

Or not.

“Kyle Valero, who’s the assistant wide receivers coach, actually gives us the best tips. Every once and a while he sees something we screw up on,” Frederick said. “Every once and a while the defensive guys out on the field watch and say, ‘What are you doing? What’s that?’ We’ve never received any formal training so we try to take the little tips here and there.”

Martin’s favorite route is a comeback, like Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.

“I really sell the guy down the field there,” Martin said.

But there isn’t a defender.

“I’m working it in my mind,” Martin said.

They are careful not to interrupt anybody else’s warm-up. As offensive line coach Frank Pollack and linebackers coach Matt Eberflus do their pregame jog, they wait for their space to clear. They don’t want to get in the way of the other skill players, which is part of the reason why they are on the field so early before game time.

Completion percentages vary week to week. It’s not always precise.

“Sometimes it’s better than others,” Frederick said. “Before the games, we try and improve every week. Sometimes you can tell how we’re going to play how catch goes before.”

Judging by how they have played at the positions they are paid to play, the warm-up seems to be working.