D
uring the 2023 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers surprised many when they used a third round pick to draft kicker Jake Moody out of Michigan– a position that is historically dominated by late round selections of undrafted free agents. But since his rookie season, Moody has struggled with consistency, missing multiple kicks in big time moments over the past two seasons.
And while the 49ers are still very confident that Moody can live up to his third round selection, they decided that it was time for them to push their young kicker this season and brought in some competition for him by signing free agent, Greg Joseph on May 19. In a corresponding move, the 49ers released defensive lineman, Alex Barrett.
Taking a Look at the Joseph Signing
While Moody has struggled during parts of his two seasons, the 49ers never once talked about his job being in jeopardy. In fact, after Moody converted on only 84% of his field goals during his rookie season in 2023, he came back in 2024 as the only kicker on the roster for the entirety of OTAs and training camp. And with nobody to push him, he struggled even more in year two, converting on 70.6% of his field goals. But by bringing in Joseph, the 49ers believe that it will benefit Moody because for the first time in his professional career, he will have someone challenging him for the job.
“As long as we bring in a guy who is capable of taking that job, and Jake respects him — that’s what puts pressure on him, because you’ve got to respect the guy you’re going against,” 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan, said last month about possibly bringing in another kicker.
Joseph has been a journeyman kicker for most of his career, having played on 11 teams since entering the league in 2018. But his consistency has been fairly strong, especially over the past four seasons, with a lifetime field goal percentage of 81.8– 90.5% on extra points.
49ers’ Current Feelings on Moody
Bringing in Joseph appears to be just a formality– with the 49ers’ new special teams coordinator, Brant Boyer, confident that Moody’s struggles were health related and a full offseason of recovery, combined with a little added pressure, will help Moody settle in and be the kicker they drafted him to be.
“There isn’t a special teams coach in this league that didn’t have him rated No. 1 coming out [of college] that I know of,” Boyer said. “He’s as talented of a kid as it gets. … If he gets his mind right — which I think he’s doing, he’s doing a hell of a job for us so far — I think he’ll do a heck of a job for us, I really do.”
Changing long snappers as well, replacing Taybor Pepper with longtime Houston Texan, Jon Weeks, could be a big help for Moody. Weeks, a member of the Texans from 2010-24 and earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2015, is one of the most respected long snappers and leaders in the league. Having him on the team could bring the best out of Moody and help improve his confidence in 2025.
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