SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The kicking portion of an NFL training camp practice is often a time when established players take a break or work on something else.
That's not necessarily the case this summer for the San Francisco 49ers where the competition between incumbent kicker Jake Moody and offseason acquisition Greg Joseph is catching the attention of even the team's biggest stars.
“I actually have been paying attention to it. I can't lie,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “It's kind of exciting.”
That's just the kind of focus new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer wants on his kickers as he tries to create as much of a high-stakes environment for his kickers on the practice field to determine who he can trust most once the season starts.
“I think it’s cool that everybody’s watching and it puts that added pressure on and stuff like that,” Boyer said. "Because that’s where you’re going to find out who has the upper leg or not.”
Boyer has had both kickers alternate kicks from the exact same spot on the field in camp, to make sure both are getting their opportunities in the same conditions and to put pressure on each.
Both kickers had performed well throughout the offseason and the start of camp before hitting a but of a rough patch on Friday when Joseph missed two of his four attempts and Moody missed one.
Moody is trying to bounce back from a rough second season in the NFL when he struggled mightily in the second half of the 2024 campaign after coming back from an ankle injury.
Moody made some changes to his approach this offseason, going from taking three steps on his approach to just two. He made the change after consulting with his kicking coach and some veteran kickers after seeing on film that his third step had been inconsistent and could have contributed to the inaccuracy.
“What that did, at least in my mind, was keep everything kind of shorter and more consistent as far as less variables of having a third jab step is what I would call it,” he said. “So just kind of taking that out gets me to the ball a little quicker.”
Moody said the new approach might cost him a yard or two in length but should make him more consistent and become the kicker the Niners thought they had when they drafted him in the third round in 2023.
Moody had an up-and-down rookie season, making 21 of 25 field goals in the regular season and missing only one extra point. But he missed a potential game-winning kick in a loss at Cleveland and missed field goals in playoff wins against Green Bay and Detroit.
Moody then made three field goals in the Super Bowl with two coming from more than 50 yards, but also had an extra point blocked in that game.
Moody got off to a strong start last season, making all six field goals he attempted in the season opener and going 13 for 14 before injuring his ankle while attempting to make a tackle on a kickoff return in Week 5.
He missed three games and then went 5 for 14 on attempts from at least 40 yards in the final nine games.
“I seen a guy that lost his confidence a little bit, but I also seen a guy that was injured half the year," Boyer said. “He’s a super-talented kid, and I think that he’s just got to get his stinger back so to speak. And Greg is putting all the pressure on him that he can.”
Moody said his confidence isn't an issue and that he is using last season as a learning experience that gave him a chip on his shoulder.
He said he is going through camp focused on his process more than results and is confident he can get back to being the consistent kicker he knows he can be.
“I want to prove to myself that I deserve to be here, and that I belong,” Moody said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with last year or other people or anything. Just kind of changed my mindset to just focusing on the now, and doing whatever I can do in the moment to help myself best make kicks.”
Brock Purdy's day off
Brock Purdy missed practice Friday for what the team described as personal reasons. Purdy is expected back at San Francisco's next session Sunday.
With Purdy out, Mac Jones and Tanner Mordecai split all the reps.
Renardo Green leaves injured
Second-year cornerback Renardo Green had a strong practice with a few pass breakups before he came up limping late in the session with what appeared to be a sore hamstring.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
