Kickers haven't usually been a talking point in the NFL, given the lack of resources attributed by teams to the position, but with the San Francisco 49ers, anything is possible.
The 49ers are facing a unique situation at kicker: both of their options, Jake Moody and Zane Gonzalez, are facing injuries, casting their Week 1 availability in doubt.
Moody, who suffered a right quadriceps strain, and Gonzalez, who suffered a right calf strain, both were hurt this week, leaving uncertainty as to who would be the team's Week 1 option.
At the moment, Moody is considered week-to-week, while head coach Kyle Shanahan shared that Gonzalez will be out multiple weeks, placing his availability in question.
Now, the 49ers face a unique roster predicament: how do they go about their kicker situation, while finding a reliable Week 1 option, with the 53-man cutdown date upon us in just a few days?
Shanahan expressed the uniqueness of the selection, sharing that the team will first evaluate the severity of both injuries before making decisions on their Week 1 kicker.
"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," Shanahan shared, following the 49ers' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. "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."
All options are on the table, including a potential reunion with Robbie Gould, whom the 49ers moved off before selecting Moody, according to Shanahan.
"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.
The 49ers will work out multiple kickers, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, but the 49ers will likely carry Jake Moody onto their 53-man roster regardless of whether he'll be available during Week 1 or not.
Should Moody's injury cost him zero playing time, he would be the Week 1 starter. However, should Moody miss time, there are two scenarios that could occur.
1) If the injury doesn't seem as severe, likely costing Moody just one or two weeks, the 49ers could place Moody on the 53-man roster and sign a kicker to the practice squad, elevating him for those two games while their projected starter is out with an injury.
2) If Moody's injury will cost him multiple weeks, or if the 49ers want to give him some time off to prepare mentally for the season, the 49ers could keep Moody on the 53-man roster and then immediately place him on Injured Reserve(IR), paving the path to signing a different option to the 53-man roster.
Regardless, the kicker situation is currently in limbo, and it comes after uneven preseason play from Moody, which cast some doubt on how well his rookie season could go.
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