The San Francisco 49ers continue to make roster moves at kicker after sending Zane Gonzalez to the IR, this time signing veteran kicker Matthew Wright to their practice squad as an insurance policy for rookie kicker Jake Moody, according to Adam Schefter.
Matthew Wright, 27, spent time last season with the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers and has made 87 percent of his field goals (40-for-46) in his career. If Wright had enough attempts to qualify for the leaderboard, that would make him the 7th most accurate kicker in NFL history.
Zane Gonzalez, 28, was sent to the IR with an injured calf and will miss at least the first four weeks of the season.
The 49ers spent a 3rd round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on kicker Jake Moody out of Michigan. Moody was the Lou Groza Award winner as the nation's top kicker in 2021 by converting all 56 extra point attempts and 23 of 25 field goal tries for Michigan. Moody was also named a second-team All-American in 2022, connecting on all 60 extra points and an FBS-best 29 field goals from his 35 attempts.
Moody struggled in preseason for the 49ers, missing field goals, an extra point, and a potential game-winning kick. Moody is dealing with a strained quad, but it sounds like GM John Lynch and the 49ers plan on having him be the starting kicker in Week 1 of the NFL season, according to Matt Malocco.
At the very least, Matthew Wright represents a good insurance plan for Moody if he's unable to fully recover in time. Moody being selected so high in the draft came as a big surprise, but the 49ers felt the need to replace longtime veteran kicker Robbie Gould with a quality option. Moody has yet to show he's worthy of such a high draft selection, but it sounds like health willing, he'll still get his chance Week 1 for the 49ers.
Follow Us
Subscribe
