Trouble afoot as 49ers deal with kicking injuries

Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterAug 26, 2023, 05:45 PM ET
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — With little more than two weeks left until the regular-season opener, the San Francisco 49ers have little idea who will handle kicking duties against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That’s because, in the span of three days, both of the team’s kickers –rookie Jake Moody (right quadriceps) and veteran Zane Gonzalez (right calf) — suffered injuries to their kicking legs that cast doubt on their availability for Week 1.

Those injuries come three days before the Niners and the rest of the league must cut down to the initial 53-man roster. It means San Francisco has some roster gymnastics to pull off while simultaneously evaluating where Moody and Gonzalez will be health-wise two weeks from now.

“I have never been in the situation before where we have two really good kickers in our camp and, a few days before the final 53, both kickers aren’t available at this time,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Saturday. “I think these next couple of days are really important just to see how the rehabbing is going and things like that and trying to guess where it’s going to be two weeks from now when we kick off.”

After the Niners used a third-round draft pick — No. 99 overall — on Moody this year, he has been the presumptive starter. Gonzalez offers additional depth and experience after the Niners swapped conditional late-round picks in the 2025 NFL draft to acquire him in March.

Throughout training camp, Moody has made almost all of his field goal tries, including multiple attempts from 60 yards. But he has struggled some in preseason games, missing 40-yard and 58-yard field goals against the Las Vegas Raiders and an extra point vs. the Denver Broncos.

Moody left Wednesday’s practice early, walking to the locker room with a slight limp, and is considered “week-to-week,” Shanahan said. That seemed to open the door for Gonzalez to get his opportunity against the Los Angeles Chargers in Friday’s preseason finale.

Gonzalez was seen kicking during warm-ups and was in uniform to start the game, but it was punter Mitch Wishnowsky — not Gonzalez — doing the kicking when the Niners attempted an extra point after scoring on their second possession.

Shanahan said Saturday that Gonzalez has a strained calf that will cost him “a few weeks,” which means he almost certainly won’t be available for Week 1.

The Niners will work out multiple kickers this week, said Shanahan, who didn’t rule out a potential reunion with Robbie Gould, who had been the team’s kicker since 2017 before the team opted for Moody and Gonzalez in the offseason.

“We’re discussing everything and just being ready for any possibility to maneuver this roster however, but we really don’t know what direction we’re gonna go until time takes care of that,” Shanahan said.