49ers cut Jake Moody, place George Kittle on injured reserve

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers waived kicker Jake Moody on Tuesday after the 2023 third-round pick missed two field goals in the season opener and placed star tight end George Kittle on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

Kittle will be forced to miss at least four games and will be eligible to return for the Week 6 game at Tampa Bay on Oct. 12.

The 49ers quickly found Moody's replacement, agreeing to a deal to sign Eddy Pineiro, a person familiar with the move said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn't announced the move.

Pineiro has made 88.1% of his career field-goal attempts in 70 games for Chicago, the New York Jets and Carolina. He spent the past three seasons with the Panthers and wasn’t in any training camp this summer.

Moody missed a 27-yard field goal on Sunday at Seattle and had a 30-yarder blocked, marking the first time San Francisco missed two field goals inside of 40 yards in the same game in 19 years. Coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game there was “no question” Moody would remain the kicker. But he softened the stance Monday and the team made a change on Tuesday.

The 49ers drafted Moody 99th overall in 2023 in hopes he would be a long-term solution at kicker but his inconsistency forced a change just one game into his third season.

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 made 13 of his first 14 field goals last season 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.

San Francisco brought in Greg Joseph as competition in the offseason, but cut him early in camp and went with Moody to start the season in hopes that his change from a three-step approach to a two-step approach would lead to success.

Moody was one of two kickers picked in the top 100 in the past 20 drafts with both turning out to be bad picks. Tampa Bay picked Roberto Aguayo 59th overall in 2016 and cut him after one season when he made just 71% of his kicks.

Kittle got hurt in the second quarter on Sunday. He had four catches for 25 yards and a TD before the injury. Jake Tonges replaced him and had his first three career catches, including the game-winning TD.

Kittle has dealt with several minor injuries in his career but has played at least 14 games in seven of his eight seasons. He has had four seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving and led San Francisco with 78 catches for 1,106 yards and eight TDs last season.

The 49ers will likely bring up Brayden Willis from the practice squad this week as the third tight end along with Tonges and blocking tight end Luke Farrell.

The 49ers also announced the signing of receiver Kendrick Bourne, who agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million on Monday. The team also cut receiver Robbie Chosen from the practice squad.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl