San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody suffered a high ankle sprain during Week 5's game against the Arizona Cardinals. His replacement, Matthew Wright, sustained a shoulder injury four days later. Both injuries occurred as the kickers made tackles on special teams.
Wright was placed on injured reserve, while the 49ers have kept Moody on the active roster, hoping for his return sooner rather than later. In the meantime, the team added kicker Anders Carlson to the practice squad, elevating him to play in the last two games.
Moody, a third-round draft pick in 2023, returned to practice on Monday and could be nearing a return to action, potentially as early as this weekend's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers have reportedly released Carlson from the practice squad to make room for re-signing veteran safety Tashaun Gipson.
On Monday, Moody expressed cautious optimism about his return.
"I'm slowly owning my way back to on-the-field stuff," Moody said via NBC Sports Bay Area. "I'm just progressing, making sure I'm doing all the steps needed, not rushing straight back into it, just taking one step at a time."
Moody noted that the silver lining of his injury is that it occurred to his kicking leg rather than his planting foot.
"Just the amount of pressure and force that goes into your plant foot when you're planting, especially on kickoffs, that might be a little more difficult to recover from, to build that strength back up, so the fact that it is my kicking foot is probably a better thing," Moody explained.
The release of Carlson suggests that Moody is close to returning from his injury and could be kicking for the 49ers again this weekend at Raymond James Stadium.