LANDOVER, Md. — Jake Moody couldn’t get comfortable the night before his return to the NFL.
The bed in the team hotel was a full-sized — or was it a twin? — one, not the king he prefers. The water in his shower was intermittently too hot and too cold.
“I couldn’t get it to go in the middle …” he said. “That might be the new tradition that I start. We’ll see.”
He has every reason to try to replicate his preparation for Monday’s game. Five weeks after the 49ers cut him and publicly questioned his self-confidence, Moody made four field goals, including a 38-yarder as the clock expired, in the Bears’ 25-24 win against the Commanders. The one kick he missed was blocked.
“He’s made kicks in big games over the course of his career so far, so none of it was surprising,” coach Ben Johnson said.
The Bears agreed to sign him to their practice squad two days before their second game of the season. He moved in with his girlfriend’s mom in Northbrook. Still, not everyone on the team was familiar with the No. 99 overall pick of the 2023 draft — running back D’Andre Swift said he had to introduce himself to the kicker Monday.
The Bears decided to promote Moody from the practice squad when starter Cairo Santos’ quad injury didn’t progress as much as they’d hoped after he hurt while warming up in the third quarter of the Raiders game two weeks ago.
“He wasn’t feeling it,” Johnson said.
Moody knew before Monday that he’d kick. That might have had something to do with him being uncomfortable trying to fall asleep.
Monday night, less than eight hours after he was officially promoted, his teammates chanted his name and lifted him in the air during their on-field celebration.
“It’s a pretty cool series of events,” he said. “A couple days ago, I didn’t know I was playing. And to get lifted up by my teammates, it’s an amazing feeling. I’m really glad I got to share that moment with them.”
The two-time Big Ten Kicker of the Year at Michigan was drafted in the third round by the 49ers to replace former Bears star Robbie Gould. He was the first kicker taken in the 2023 draft. In the 2021 draft, the only kicker drafted went in Round 5. In 2022, the only kicker was taken in Round 4.
The 49ers’ investment didn’t pay off. In two seasons plus one game, he went 46-for-62. In the season opener, he missed a 27-yarder and had a 36-yarder blocked. The 49ers cut him a day later.
“He’d have to say why, but it looked like he lost his confidence and he wasn’t kicking the ball well enough and it was way too inconsistent,” coach Kyle Shanahan said after the 49ers cut him.
Snapper Scott Daly called Moody’s performance “such a good story,” particularly given that the final kick came on the heels of a blocked kick.
Santos flew with the Bears for the Commanders game and was able to give Moody advice about the wind and grass before and during the game.
It’s fair to wonder what happens to Moody next. The Bears could send him back to the practice squad, where other teams could try to lure him away with the promise of a starting job. More likely, he’ll stay in Chicago in case Santos — the greatest kicker in the history of Soldier Field — is unable to play at home Sunday against the Saints.
Monday’s game, though, will remain special.
“I think that’s who he is,” Johnson said. “I think the charge of scenery was really good for him.”
