SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Just when it seemed the San Francisco 49ers' kicker competition was about to heat up, it reached an abrupt conclusion. At least for now.
Hit hard by injuries up and down the roster in the first two weeks of training camp, the Niners released veteran kicker Greg Joseph on Monday. That clears the decks for incumbent Jake Moody to retain the job as he enters his third NFL season.
"I would have loved to keep [Joseph] longer and allowed them to play that out longer," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "But we had 13 guys out of practice today. We've got five guys on PUP. It's just too many people to have that luxury. It's awesome to have two kickers and have them battle, but they're not really guys to take reps. We need more people to take reps for us."
The 49ers had high hopes for Moody when they drafted him in the third round out of Michigan in 2023. He has had his share of ups and downs since, struggling mightily over the back half of last season.
Moody made just 11 of 20 field goal attempts after returning from a high ankle sprain in Week 10 on his way to ranking 35th in the NFL in field goal percentage among kickers with at least 10 tries.
Those struggles opened the door for a potential change, and the Niners signed Joseph in May with the idea of creating a competition. Joseph and Moody alternated reps during the special teams' period in each practice with Joseph connecting on 22 of 24 tries and Moody going 21-for-24 in the special teams periods open to media.
On Friday, special teams coach Brant Boyer said the competition was "really close."
"They're both doing a great job," Boyer said. "There's not a ton of separation there. Both of them rebounded from some days that they could have kicked better. ... They're doing everything we're asking them to do, and we're looking forward to see how it's going to shake out."
As it turned out, other roster machinations made keeping two kickers no longer tenable. In Monday's practice, the Niners did not have the services of cornerback Renardo Green (hamstring), receiver Jauan Jennings (calf), receiver Jacob Cowing (hamstring), running back Christian McCaffrey (rest day), safety Ji'Ayir Brown (ankle), running back Isaac Guerendo (shoulder), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (heel), defensive tackle Evan Anderson (knee bruise), left tackle Trent Williams (rest day), defensive tackle Kevin Givens (pectoral), defensive end Sam Okuayinonu (groin) and defensive end Nick Bosa (rest day). Running back Jordan James (knee) was limited, and that doesn't even account for those players -- receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee), safety Malik Mustapha (knee), offensive tackle Andre Dillard (ankle) and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) -- who remain on the physically unable to perform list.
If there's good news to be found on that lengthy list, it's that most of the injuries aren't considered long-term. Shanahan said Givens will be out the longest, likely missing a chunk of the season. He was expected to, at minimum, remain a prominent part of the defensive tackle rotation. Juszczyk, Anderson and Brown are considered day-to-day, and Guerendo and Okuayinonu are expected to miss two to three weeks.
All those missing players mean the Niners needed more bodies, especially this week when they have a joint practice with the Denver Broncos set for Thursday and the preseason opener against them Saturday night.
The 49ers had so many injuries last preseason that they canceled joint practices with the New Orleans Saints, but San Francisco expects to be ready to work with the Broncos this year.
"We'll have to be smart at some positions," Shanahan said. "I'm sure they have some issues, too. I'll talk to Sean [Payton] the day before. It's such good work that we'll find a way to make it work."
As for whether the kicking competition could reignite if and when the Niners get healthy, Shanahan indicated that the microscope would remain on Moody with an emphasis on getting him going. Shanahan said Moody is "kicking the ball real well," but the coach acknowledged that the staff will be watching as the preseason moves along.
"Whether you have one kicker in the building or two, kickers always know they are competing with whoever is out there," Shanahan said. "So, I don't see it much different."