San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody is still struggling to make field goals as the new season begins. The 25-year-old converted just 1 of 3 attempts in the 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks on September 7 at Lumen Field.
While the 49ers managed to leave Seattle with a win, Moody’s continued struggles making field goals could eventually cost San Francisco wins if points keep being left on the table.
After struggling last season, KNBR’s Brian Murphy has no desire to go through this same song and dance this campaign and is urging the 49ers to part ways with Moody. Furthermore, Murphy notes that Greg Joseph, who the 49ers cut, remains a free agent and should be looked at.
“Let’s just call it for what it is,” Murphy said on the September 8 edition of The “Murph & Markus Show.” “No more. That’s it. Say, ‘Jake, you know what? We tried, you tried.‘ No more. Let’s go. There’s really no net benefit. I’m not wishing the guy ill in his life. I hope he has a wonderful life. Maybe he can go to another team. He might be the ultimate change-of-scenery guy. But it’s just time.”
“Greg Joseph is out there. It’s fine. Bro, we tried, you tried. It’s not you, it’s me. Whatever you need to say, or if you want to be hostile about it, just clean your locker out. But no, they cannot. You cannot go forward with him. You cannot. You cannot go forward with him, period.”
49ers Told to Sign Greg Joseph
Moody faced competition during training camp and preseason from veteran kicker Greg Joseph. However, San Francisco decided to cut the 31-year-old and keep Moody, but after the latest struggles, Murphy is doubling down, saying that the 49ers should go and sign Joseph.
“Greg Joseph is out there,“ Murphy added. “It’s fine. Bro, we tried, you tried. It’s not you, it’s me. Whatever you need to say, or if you want to be hostile about it, just clean your locker out. But no, they cannot. You cannot go forward with him. You cannot. You cannot go forward with him, period…
“Cut Jake Moody and move on. Greg Joseph kicked just as well in camp and has also done it for many years in the league, better than he has. So go get Greg Joseph. Bring him in. That’s the end of the story. What are we over? Don’t overthink this. We’re done. We’re done. It’s it. It’s over.”
Last season, he was 6 of 11 on kicks between 40 and 49 yards. On attempts of 50 yards or more, Moody went 4 of 9, leaving him 50 percent from any kick beyond 40 yards, per Pro Football Reference.
Will Kyle Shanahan Cut Jake Moody?
After the win over the Seahawks, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Moody’s ongoing struggles dating back to last season. Rather than criticize him, Shanahan did state that it wasn’t solely the kicker’s fault.
“Well, obviously, I was disappointed that we missed two field goals,“ Shanahan said postgame while speaking to the media (h/t KNBR). “I mean, missed one, which was a big miss, especially—I think we were inside the 10. I want to say it was a 27-yarder.
“Then the next one, [Julian] Love made a hell of a move. I think it was Love splitting that D-gap. It looked like he jumped over the guys. I saw it on the scoreboard. But we got to clean up that protection. That’s everyone there. That one wasn’t Jake. That’s just the whole operation. But yeah, we got to do better.”