SANTA CLARA — Jake Moody appears to be making progress from a right quadriceps strain that kept the rookie kicker sidelined for the 49ers’ final preseason game.
Moody was seen on a side field Monday — six days before the 49ers’ season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers — easily kicking 33-yard field goals.
Thirty-three yards is the distance of extra points, and Moody was nailing his kicks more than three-quarters of the way up the net behind the goal post.
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The 49ers remain hopeful that Moody, the No. 99 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, will be available when they open the regular season in Pittsburgh.
On Monday, the club signed kicker Matthew Wright to the practice squad as insurance in case Moody is not available. The 49ers would have to elevate Wright from the practice squad on Saturday at 1 p.m. (PT) in order for him to be available to face the Steelers.
Wright has kicked in four regular-season games at the Steelers’ home stadium in different stints with Pittsburgh in 2020 and 2022. He has appeared in 23 NFL games. He is 40 of 46 on field-goal attempts (87 percent) and 35 of 37 on extra points (94.6 percent).
The 49ers targeted Moody in the third round of the draft to replace veteran Robbie Gould, the most-accurate kicker in franchise history. Gould remains unsigned as a free agent.
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