49ers abruptly pull plug on kicker competition as injuries hit RB, D-line

New York Times

5 hours ago

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers' summer kicking competition was billed as one that would push, sharpen and strengthen Jake Moody, and it had everyone — from Kyle Shanahan to Nick Bosa to the media — suddenly paying attention to special teams drills.
And now, after nine training camp practices, it appears to be over.
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The team released veteran Greg Joseph on Monday amid a flurry of roster moves made to keep a banged-up roster healthy enough to scrimmage the Denver Broncos on Thursday and open the preseason against them on Saturday.
The 49ers are light at wide receiver and along the defensive line, they were down to three tailbacks in Monday's practice and they conducted the session without a fullback
'I would love to keep him here longer,' Kyle Shanahan said of Joseph. 'But we had 13 guys out of practice today, we've got five guys on (the physically unable to perform list). It's just too many people to have that luxury. It's awesome to have two kickers … but we need more guys to take reps.'
In addition to the move at kicker, the 49ers also waived quarterback Tanner Mordecai. The team uses only three quarterbacks in practice, and, for now at least, newcomer Carter Bradley, the son of assistant head coach Gus Bradley, will fill the No. 3 role.
'Maybe there's a chance we can get Tanner back,' Shanahan said. 'We'll see how this roster goes. But we'd like the chance to work with Bradley right now.'
When it came to field goals, Joseph appeared to be slightly ahead of Moody in training camp, connecting on 22 of 24 attempts while Moody was 21 of 24. Still, Moody is a 2023 third-round pick who caught new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer's eye when he was coming out in the draft. Boyer has made changes at punter and longsnapper, and he brought in new coverage aces during free agency.
Moody, the 49ers' most embattled special teamer in 2024, is the only incumbent who's kept his job. He missed 10 of 32 field-goal attempts last year, with all but one of those misses coming after he returned from a Week 5 high-ankle sprain.
'I've seen a guy that lost his confidence a little bit, but I've also seen a guy that was injured half the year,' Boyer said of reviewing Moody's game film. 'He's a super-talented kid, and I think that he's just got to get his stinger back, so to speak.'
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Shanahan said Monday that Moody has ' been kicking the ball very well' in recent practices, 'and hopefully that continues.'
He said that though Joseph is no longer in camp to push Moody, the third-year kicker still must deliver.
'Kickers always know they're competing with whoever's out there,' Shanahan said. 'So I don't see much of a difference.'
These are the problem spots that prompted the moves at kicker and quarterback:
A number of 49ers were absent Monday, including starting defensive tackle Kevin Givens, who suffered a pectoral injury and will miss a chunk of the regular season, Shanahan said. Givens missed nine of the final 10 games last season, including the final five because of a pec injury.
With Givens out, the team will turn to veterans Jordan Elliott, Evan Anderson and Kalia Davis as well as a trio of rookies — C.J. West, Alfred Collins and Sebastian Valdez — at defensive tackle. Anderson is dealing with a knee bruise and didn't practice Monday.
Defensive end Sam Okuayinonu, meanwhile, has a groin strain and will miss a couple of weeks, Shanahan said. To boost its defensive line numbers, the team signed Bradlee Anae and Bruce Hector. Another defensive end, Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), has been working out on a side field recently and is scheduled to return to practice within the next two weeks.
Rookie Jordan James (knee) was back in practice Monday but was limited to individual drills. Meanwhile, Isaac Guerendo injured his right shoulder during a kick-return drill Saturday and will miss 'a few weeks,' Shanahan said.
Also on Saturday, a teammate stepped on fullback Kyle Juszczyk's Achilles, opening a cut on the tendon. He's considered day to day. With no other true fullback on the roster, the 49ers used a lot of three-receiver and two-tight-end formations Monday.
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The tailbacks who took part in team situations were Patrick Taylor Jr., Ameer Abdullah and rookie Corey Kiner. Christian McCaffrey had a rest day, as did offensive tackle Trent Williams and Bosa.
The team has been practicing without Brandon Aiyuk (ACL), Jauan Jennings (calf) and Jacob Cowing (hamstring), while newcomer Andy Isabella suffered an ankle injury Monday. The 49ers also cut undrafted rookie Isaiah Neyor, who made a spectacular catch on the second day of training camp but who'd been quiet since.
The 49ers have been practicing without Malik Mustapha (ankle) and on Monday didn't have Ji'Ayir Brown, who sat out the spring sessions with an ankle issue and has missed two practices so far due to the same problem. Jason Pinnock and Richie Grant played with the first-team unit. The 49ers also re-signed safety Jaylen Mahoney, whom they cut last week.
• A bright spot in the receiving corps: Ricky Pearsall continues to look sharp. He caught three of the four passes that went his way Monday, including a deep ball from Mac Jones on which Pearsall got behind cornerback Tre Brown and safety Marques Sigle. The lone incompletion to Pearsall came when Brock Purdy's out-route throw was broken up by Upton Stout, who's been the best looking rookie in camp so far.
• Purdy had another good day, completing 9 of 13 throws in team situations. Like he has in several practices this year, he opened the 11-on-11 period with a deep shot to George Kittle. The tight end, however, couldn't manage an over-the-shoulder catch, perhaps because linebacker Fred Warner was on his heels as the ball arrived.
Jones, meanwhile, continues to look efficient. He was 11 of 14, while Bradley was 4 of 9. Bradley began the day 0 of 3 but finished with a flourish — a deep, sideline connection to receiver Terique Owens, who scored on the play.
• The 49ers signed offensive tackle Isaiah Prince, a sixth-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2019 who has been with five other teams since. Prince lined up at right tackle with the third-team offense. He looked light on his feet in one-on-one drills with wins over Robert Beal Jr. and Anae. However, he looked a bit too light against Mykel Williams, who threw the new tackle off balance.
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Collins continues to struggle in the drill, losing matchups to Matt Hennessy, Connor Colby and Drew Moss before beating center Drake Nugent on his final repetition. General manager John Lynch and Gus Bradley were among those who watched the drill. Collins and West were the second-team defensive tackles for most of the practice.
• Cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir (hip) and Darrell Luter Jr. (personal) were back at practice. Lenoir and Dallis Flowers got most of the first-team repetitions at outside cornerback with Stout at nickel cornerback. Renardo Green (hamstring) is still at least a week away from returning.
• The 49ers waived tight end Mason Pline. That leaves Ross Dwelley, Jake Tonges and Brayden Willis to compete for the No. 3 tight end spot. The 49ers also waived cornerback Tre Avery, replacing him with cornerback Fabian Moreau.
• Shanahan was asked about team radio announcer Greg Papa, who received a recent cancer diagnosis and won't be on hand to call Saturday's preseason game. The 49ers have not yet announced who will replace him.
'We love having Papa around,' Shanahan said. 'He watches everything, eavesdrops — sometimes a little too much. But no, we love Greg. I love doing my TV show with him. He's been awesome. I was telling my kids about that, and my youngest daughter didn't know his name and then (son) Carter imitated his voice when the Niners score touchdowns and stuff. So she knew exactly who he was then. We're all pulling for him, and he's in a battle, but a battle we know he is going to win.'
(Photo of Jake Moody: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)