Once upon a time the Cowboys valued the kicker position so much, they actually used a draft pick to find one. The year was 2007. Both the Sopranos and Harry Potter series were just wrapping up. Lehman Brothers was still a solvent bank. Bob Barker was hosting The Price is Right and Whitney Houston released The Ultimate Collection.
The Cowboys were rewarded for their draft investment with Folk winning a Pro Bowl bid as a rookie and carving out a 15-year career as an NFL kicker. Over the past decade-plus, Folk would go on to kick for the Jets, the Buccaneers and most recently, the Patriots.
The Cowboys are currently in a state of unrest at kicker. After bidding adieu to last season’s kicker, Brett Maher, they are starting over at the position.
USFL standout Brandon Aubrey is leading the charge, but he’s been a little up and down in his preseason and training camp performances. Amidst a string of solid kicks, he sprinkles in the occasional missed extra point and shanked midrange shot. He’s promising, but at the same time, worrisome.
Could Folk’s career come full circle and land the former sixth rounder back in the city that once drafted him?
Despite him currently residing on New England’s roster, the answer is maybe.
The situation with the Patriots is a tenuous one for Folk. Even though he’s entering his fifth year with the club, he appears to be on the outside looking in.
Just like the Cowboys in 2007, New England broke from conventional wisdom and drafted a kicker with a Day 3 pick. Trading up in the fourth round, the Patriots selected Chad Ryland out of Maryland, unofficially putting Folk on notice.
Ryland has impressed early on, showing decent accuracy as well as impressive power. He’s the favorite to win the kicker job for the Patriots and the reason Folk will likely become available to a team like the Cowboys.
It’s difficult to tell how interested Dallas would be in Folk, if and when, such a day arises. Folk’s field goal percentage in 2022 was a respectable 86.5 with an extra point percentage of 91.4. Where Folk struggled was in the power department, delivering just three touchbacks all season.
While long kicks had never been Folk’s forte, they are now an obvious weakness as he enjoys his 39th trip around the sun. He wore down dramatically as the 2022 season wore on and likely isn’t seen as much more than an emergency option for teams in 2023.
Yet, depending how things wrap up with Aubrey, the Cowboys could be one of the teams looking for an emergency option.
It’s unlikely Dallas would trade anything for Folk,, who’s under contract for a $1,690,000 base salary (plus weekly roster bonuses) but if he’s released, they may be inclined to kick the tires.
A veteran player like Mason Crosby still likely has an inside track since he’s actually a free agent right now, he has history with Mike McCarthy, and he’s been consistently reliable from under 50 yards. Like Folk, Crosby is older and lacks the desired power, but as an emergency option, he has to be on the short list.
Everyone should want Aubrey to be the one who wins the job in Dallas. He has power and youth on his side. But if all else fails, it’s nice to know a familiar face like Folk may be an option in the near future. Just in case.
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