The San Francisco 49ers had quite a few assistant changes this offseason. Most notably, they hired Robert Saleh as their defensive coordinator, with former NFL head coach Gus Bradley brought in to be his top assistant.
But, they also made a move with special teams, hiring special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, who was an assistant under Saleh with the New York Jets.
Upon arriving in San Francisco, Boyer revamped the team’s special teams unit. The 49ers released long-snapper Taybor Pepper and replaced him with 39-year-old Jon Weeks. They also released Mitch Wishnowsky, who had signed a four-year, $11.2 million extension back in 2022, and replaced him with 39-year-old Thomas Morstead.
But, Boyer also brought in 37-year-old veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein to compete with incumbent starter Jake Moody, as the latter had struggled in his first two years with the 49ers.
From the initial look, it seemed Boyer had a plan to fix the 49ers’ special-teams unit, which has long been an issue, regardless of the coordinator. However, one week into the season, that plan is looking rough.
Hoping to improve the special-teams unit, the 49ers also spent a draft pick on wide receiver Junior Bergen, who didn’t have much success as a wideout at Montana, but was known for his returning ability. However, Bergen struggled in the preseason, muffing a punt, and was ultimately released during the 53-man cutdown date.
From when Bergen was drafted, head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged that returning was the lone way that seventh-rounder would likely make the team. As a result, they spent a draft pick (yes, a seventh-round pick) to address the issue, but that didn’t pan out.
At punter, Morstead had a solid Week 1, averaging 48 yards per punt after a poor preseason, as he got both of his punts inside Seattle’s 20-yard line.
But, the kicking game was a disaster. Jake Moody missed a chip-shot 27-yard field goal on his first attempt of the year, hitting the uprights. Then, his second kick was blocked, as offensive lineman Matt Hennessey was beaten at the line of scrimmage, allowing a free runner to impact the field goal. Hennessey had a similar gaffe that was costly on a field goal in the preseason.
While the 49ers brought in Zuerlein in the offseason, they never truly made it a kicker competition, releasing the veteran before the preseason to address another position due to injuries. Yes, San Francisco needed healthy bodies, but that prompted Moody to go without competition in the preseason and led to the Week 1 issues as well.
The 49ers waived Moody on Tuesday, signaling their plan to move forward with another kicker after the poor Week 1 outing. That move puts an end to one of the most questionable draft picks in the Kyle Shanahan era, as the team drafted Moody in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. That was the highest a kicker was selected in seven years, when Roberto Aguayo was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Now, the 49ers’ special-teams woes stem from more than just one person. But, it’s hard to say that it hasn’t been a rough start to the Brant Boyer era, as San Francisco has made quite a few special-teams decisions that haven’t panned out already.
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