San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is optimistic about his kicker situation. The team is signing Matthew Wright as an insurance policy, but there is optimism that rookie kicker Jake Moody will be available on September 10 when the 49ers face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Shanahan was asked where he is right now with the health of his kicker.
"A lot better than I was a few days ago because he had that strain, he's kicked here these last couple of days, and he's looked good doing it," Shanahan told KNBR's Tom Tolbert and Ray Ratto on Thursday. "We're not pushing him too hard. We're going to bring in—I think it was announced—but we're bringing in an extra kicker to put on our practice squad, just in case.
"But I'm feeling optimistic [Moody will] be ready for Week 1, but if he's not, we're not going to jeopardize him. We'll go with the practice squad kicker and make sure he's ready for Week 2."
The 49ers have one other kicker, Zane Gonzalez, on the roster. However, he landed on season-ending injured reserve after suffering a right calf injury during pre-game warmups ahead of last week's preseason finale.
San Francisco made Moody a third-round draft pick out of Michigan. The rookie has had an up-and-down preseason. He missed both field-goal attempts in the 49ers' preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders but hit on his only extra-point try. Against the Denver Broncos, Moody connected on all three field-goal attempts but missed an extra point.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.