SANTA CLARA — The 49ers officially have some kicker problems and it’s not even Week 1.
On the morning of Friday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, rookie third-rounder pick Jake Moody was ruled out with a quad injury. In the first quarter, fellow kicker Zane Gonzalez was ruled out with a calf injury, despite hitting a field goal from farther than 50 yards during warmups.
Gonzalez didn’t look to be in discomfort while talking with Moody shortly before kickoff on Friday.
Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was forced into kicking duties and missed the extra point after Brock Purdy’s five-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter.
Suddenly, the 49ers have gone from having two kickers to none, with 16 days remaining before the season opener on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kicking has been a storyline throughout the preseason, as Moody missed two field goals in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders and also missed an extra point in last week’s game against the Denver Broncos before hitting the game-winner as time expired. The Niners raised some eyebrows picking Moody with the No. 33 overall pick, heightening expectations.
After Friday's 23-12 loss to the Chargers, Shanahan provided an update about Moody.
"It's week-to-week right now," Shanahan said. "We're hoping he can have a chance for Week 1. He ended up straining his quad last week in practice and we'll see how his body reacts to it."
Gonzalez, 28, was acquired in a trade from the Carolina Panthers in the offseason after missing the 2022 campaign with a quad injury.
"We definitely gotta have a 'Plan B' for Week 1," Shanahan said. "Zane coulda been that, but he's probably not gonna be ready for Week 1, looking at what happened to him today."
Perhaps the Niners will have to call up old friend Robbie Gould, as the 40-year-old remains a free agent following his six-season run with San Francisco from 2017-2022. Gould would likely have to come back on a smaller deal, as he had a $4 million base salary and a cap hit of $5.5 million in 2022.
"Everyone's a possibility," Shanahan said of Gould. "But that's stuff we haven't discussed yet."
In July, Gould told NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco that he was staying in shape for the opportunity to return for his 19th season.
"We’ve had a lot of teams we’ve talked to this offseason about coming to play for them, it just hasn’t necessarily worked out with the right situation and/or financially,” Gould told Maiocco. "I’m in shape. I’ve been kicking. ... I’m ready for the next opportunity."
