After spending the majority of the 2017 campaign on injured reserve, pending free agent kicker Nick Folk has been medically cleared to resume kicking, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Buccaneers signed the 33-year-old Folk to a one-year, $1.75MM deal last spring after former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo struggled mightily during his rookie season in 2016. Folk handily won the Tampa Bay kicking competition, allowing the Buccaneers to waive Aguayo in mid-August.
However, Folk performed nearly as poorly as Aguayo had, converting only six-of-eleven field goal attempts and seven-of-nine extra points before the Buccaneers replaced him with Patrick Murray. Tampa Bay placed Folk on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, and he remained there for the rest of the season.
Now healthy, Folk — who has also spent time with the Cowboys and Jets during his 11-year career, will hit the free agent market alongside Adam Vinatieri, Matt Bryant, Graham Gano, and a host of other available kickers.
He’ll find his way into someone’s training camp. But, his days of being handed a starting job are over.