Finally, Jake Moody has some competition.
The 49ers are signing veteran kicker Greg Joseph to a one-year contract, agent Brett Tessler told NBC Sports Bay Area on Friday.
Joseph, 30, is a six-year NFL veteran who has appeared in 75 games and has made 116 of 141 field-goal attempts in his career for 82.3-percent accuracy rate.
Joseph kicked for three teams last season, appearing in eight games with the New York Giants, Washington Commanders and the New York Jets. He made 16 of his 20 field-goal attempts.
Joseph played in one game for current 49ers special-teams coordinator Brant Boyer while with the Jets.
Coach Kyle Shanahan foreshadowed the move more than a month ago at the NFL Annual Meeting. He said he would rely on Boyer and special-teams assistant Colt Anderson to bring in a kicker to compete with Moody.
Shanahan talked about the importance of putting pressure on Moody to win the job.
“You have him compete every day in practice,” Shanahan said. “You get to preseason games and that’s about all you can do. But I think when you bring in a guy, and you make it a serious competition, which it will be, and he knows he’s got to beat out a veteran kicker.
“As long as we bring in a guy who is capable of taking that job, and Jake respects him, that’s what puts pressure on him, because you got to respect the guy you’re going against. And he does have to beat him out in practice.”
Moody made 24 of 34 field-goal attempts last season for a 70.6-percent accuracy rate that ranked 33rd among all NFL kickers with 10 or more made field goals.
Moody was 13 of 14 to open last season. After returning from a high-ankle sprain, he connected on just 11 of 20 attempts.
Boyer recently gave Moody an endorsement when asked if he expects Moody to win the job.
“Well, yeah. It all comes down to what happens in the preseason like every other position, for sure,” Boyer said.
Boyer said Moody was the clear-cut No. 1 kicker coming out in the draft two years ago.
Moody has been under intense scrutiny since the 49ers selected him in the third round (No. 99) in the 2023 NFL Draft to replace reliable veteran Robbie Gould.
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