The struggles of Jake Moody last season were the perfect encapsulation of the disappointing 49ers season. Just like everything else around the team, Moody imploded in the second half of the season, going from being the best young kicker in the league to his future being questioned in San Francisco. The addition of veteran kicker Greg Joseph only increased the speculation around Moody on the eve of his third season in the league.
After missing nine of his 20 field goal attempts down the stretch last season, Moody is making a big change to his approach. This offseason, he has been switching his kicking routine, getting rid of the third step and shortening his run-up before kicking. Moody and the coaching staff are hoping that this will increase his accuracy.
Jake Moody Making Big Offseason Change to Have a Bounce-Back Season
The Athletic's Vic Tafur highlighted what this change means in his latest piece. Taking only two steps instead of three gives Moody more time to "see the ball after it's snapped" because there is less running to do.
At the same time, there is obviously a trade-off. Increased accuracy means that you are losing some power, and as a result, the ability to kick field goals from a distance. Moody believes that the trade-off is worth it as he is focused more on his consistency rather than the power.
"The goal is more consistency because at the end of the day, that’s what keeps you in the NFL. Plus, it was nice to have a bit of a change, something to set my mind to. Not to distract me, but to have a new focus, I guess. Something to put all my energy and focus into."Jake Moody
Considering that Moody's struggles began after his ankle injury in Week 5, there is hope that he can get back to his old self with an offseason of rest and recovery. There might be growing pains with the change in his kicking routine, but Moody sounds confident in his ability that he can have a bounce-back season in 2025. If he doesn't, he will continue to be firmly on the chopping block.