Will the 49ers Keep Jake Moody?

He has an extremely strong leg, but you can't trust him to make even the shortest field goal when the pressure is on.

The 49ers drafted Jake Moody to make field goals under pressure during the playoffs, and he failed to do that.

He replaced Robbie Gould, who never missed a field goal in the playoffs in his career. He was perfect in the postseason. So he set the bar high. Still, Moody didn't even come close to hitting it. He missed a field goal in each of the 49ers' three playoff games, including a missed extra point in the Super Bowl.

So will the 49ers keep Moody for 2024?

He has an extremely strong leg, but you can't trust him to make even the shortest field goal when the pressure is on. And that's exactly the kind of kicker the 49ers don't need. Their offense is so good, they shouldn't be kicking long field goals. All they need is a kicker who's money inside 45 yards. A kicker like Gould. He never had a strong leg, and that didn't matter for the 49ers.

Drafting a kicker never seemed like a good idea for the 49ers, because it's hard to test how that rookie will respond when the 49ers are in the playoffs. Moody was outstanding during the regular season, but he rarely kicked a field goal that mattered. And when he had the opportunity to win a game at the end of regulation in Cleveland, he missed.

Last year during training camp, the 49ers signed veteran kicker Zane Gonzalez because they wanted to have a kicker competition. They should do that again this year, except with a kicker who's better than Gonzalez. Because Moody isn't the answer.