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The San Francisco 49ers placed kicker Zane Gonzalez on injured reserve on Tuesday due to a calf injury. Gonzales injured his leg during warmups prior to the 49ers' 23-12 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday, per NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiodco.
As Zane Gonzalez is expected to miss multiple weeks with a calf injury, the 49ers' kicker options have narrowed (via @MaioccoNBCS)https://t.co/o6ukLdDWpU
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 29, 2023
Gonzalez's chances of becoming the 49ers' kicker were slim because of his past injury issues. He suffered leg injuries in 2021 and 2022. Ironically, Gonzalez injured himself during warmups every single time.
A faint glimmer of hope appeared when rookie Jake Moody injured his quadriceps that forced him to sit out the preseason game against the Chargers.
Alas, Zane Gonzalez injured his leg for a third straight year. San Francisco promptly whittled its roster to 53 players after the team placed Gonazlez on the injured list on Tuesday.
With Zane Gonzalez out, the 49ers are hoping Moody can recover in time for their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 10. They also worked out free-agent kickers Tristan Vizcaino and Taylor Russolino on Monday.
San Francisco kept Zane Gonzalez on its roster hoping it could deal him for a late-round draft selection. Unfortunately, his most recent leg injury won't make it possible anymore.
The 49ers are in a tough spot one season after they moved on from veteran Robbie Gould. They sent a clear message after they traded Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys last week: Brock Purdy is their bona fide starting quarterback.
With that in mind, if Purdy were to lead another deep postseason run, the 49ers must get their act together on special teams. With barely two weeks left before the regular season kicks off, the plot thickens with each passing day.
