49ers sign veteran kicker to one-year deal after Moody injury

49ers sign veteran kicker to one-year deal after Moody injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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The 49ers have found a temporary solution at kicker.

Second-year pro Jake Moody will be out for Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks with a high ankle sprain, so the 49ers signed veteran kicker Matthew Wright as a placeholder, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.

NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero first reported the news Tuesday, citing sources.

The 49ers also worked out kickers Randy Bullock, Riley Patterson, Anders Carlson and Matt Coghlin, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday.

Wright isn’t a stranger to the 49ers. The 28-year-old had a five-day stint with them in 2023, and also had a short stay on San Francisco’s practice squad early last season, but he never appeared in a game.

Wright signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, and since has kicked for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers. He also spent time on the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots’ rosters, though he never played in a game for those teams.

Wright has made 40 of 47 field-goal attempts and 35 of 37 extra-point tries in his NFL career.

Moody sustained the ankle injury during San Francisco’s 24-23 loss Sunday while he tried to tackle Arizona return man DeeJay Dallas. The 24-year-old limped to the 49ers’ sideline before being carted off the field, and shortly thereafter, he was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Being without your highly efficient kicker in a frustrating one-point loss makes all the difference, and the 49ers didn’t want to take the risk for their pivotal “Thursday Night Football” matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, another NFC West rival.

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