The San Francisco 49ers made some moves at kicker this week, after releasing kicker Jake Moody on Tuesday. They decided to add Eddy Pineiro to be the team's next kicker, and he'll get his first chance to display what he can do on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. But while that was happening in the Bay, Moody landed on his feet in the Windy City.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Chicago Bears are signing Moody to their practice squad, and this addition puts pressure on Bears kicker Cairo Santos.
Ex-49ers Kicker Jake Moody Signs With Bears Practice Squad
In Week 1, Santos missed a 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that could have extended the Bears' lead to 20-6 with 14:55 left, but instead he hooked it right. Then late in the fourth quarter, Santos failed to kick the ball through the back of the endzone with Chicago having one timeout and just over two left in the game.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson said, "The intent was for the ball to go out the end zone," following the game (h/t Bears Wire's Mike Pendleton), and didn't seem to be too happy with his kicker. And a few days later, Moody is brought on.
Moody has some problems himself, as he missed two kicks in Week 1 against the Seahawks. The 25-year-old missed a 27-yard kick in the second quarter before having a 36-yard field goal blocked in the third. He managed to make a 32-yarder but finished with 1-of-3 on the day.
And his issues dated back to last season. In 2024 in San Francisco, Moody went 24-of-34 on field goal attempts, going 6-of-11 from 40-49 yards and 4-of-9 from 50-plus yards away.
The 49ers didn't waste time and decided to part ways with the 2023 third-round pick after just one game. It looked like he lost all confidence in himself, and San Francisco couldn't afford to let him potentially lose those games down the line.
Despite his shaky tenure with the 49ers, he was given another chance in Chicago. If Santos struggles again this season, Moody could be a player who gets elevated to the active roster and becomes the Bears' No. 1 kicker.
Regardless of what's happening with Moody, 49ers fans are hoping that Pinero is more consistent. He has made 88.1% of his field goals with a career-long of 56 yards in 70 games played, and the San Fran faithful are hoping for more of the same with his new team.