It’s been a tough few days for two former University of Arizona football players.
Dallas Cowboys kicker Nick Folk is recovering from surgery Tuesday to repair a torn cartilage in his hip.
And the Washington Redskins have cut rookie free-agent linebacker Ronnie Palmer after signing him five days before.
The Cowboys would like to see Folk, a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie in 2007, resume light kicking in about eight weeks. They hope he can handle full kicking work in 12 weeks when training camp starts.
For insurance, the Cowboys drafted USC kicker David Buehler in the fifth round last month.
Folk had surgery in Colorado to repair a right hip labral tear, a condition that can be caused by repetitive motions such as kicking.
If Folk doesn’t make a speedy recovery, it could be a big blow to Dallas. He’s never missed a game and has the best field goal accuracy rate among active kickers, making 46 of 53 field goals (86.8 percent) in his two-year career.