The San Francisco 49ers have experienced a litany of injuries in the early part of the season. The latest Niner to go down was kicker Jake Moody, who suffered a right high ankle sprain trying to make a tackle in their Week 5 loss versus the Arizona Cardinals.
#JakeMoody @49ers
Injured right ankle of this tacklehttps://t.co/KJZuMQNe2r pic.twitter.com/AmXUXadMyA— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) October 6, 2024
Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers head coach, suggested that Moody would be out for roughly a month. In his place, the Niners signed veteran Matthew Wright, who won a competition between four kickers for the right to kick in Moody’s stead.
Who Is Matthew Wright? New 49ers Kicker Replaces Jake Moody After Injury
Wright beat out Randy Bullock, Riley Patterson, and Anders Carlson in a tryout the 49ers held for Moody’s replacement. The fifth-year kicker has previously kicked for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2020, ’22), Jacksonville Jaguars (2021), Kansas City Chiefs (2022), and Carolina Panthers (2023).
For his career, Wright has converted 40 of 47 field goals (85.1%), with a long of 59 yards in 2022 as a member of the Chiefs. He’s also 35-of-37 (94.6%) on extra points. His most notable moment came at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as a member of the Jaguars in 2021, when he kicked a game-winning 53-yard field goal as time expired to defeat the Miami Dolphins.
JAGS WIN! JAGS WIN! #DUUUVAL
Only right for them to do it in London. 🗣️🇬🇧@NFLUK | #MIAvsJAX pic.twitter.com/2z97P3NzjT
— NFL (@NFL) October 17, 2021
Of note, this was Trevor Lawrence’s first career win and the first of only two NFL wins that Urban Meyer would enjoy in his ill-fated Jacksonville tenure. It ended the Jaguars’ 20-game losing streak, which is the second-longest in NFL history.
This isn’t Wright’s first rodeo in San Francisco, but it’ll be the first time he kicks in a game for the team. He previously spent time on the 49ers’ practice squad in Sept. 2023 but was waived.
Wright only appeared in the Panthers’ Week 18 season finale last year but spent time with the 49ers, Falcons, and Patriots as well. He was also in Steelers camp this year before being waived at final cutdowns.
Wright should have plenty of opportunities to contribute during his 49ers stint. Entering Week 6, the 49ers have attempted 15 field goals, second-most behind only the Dallas Cowboys (16), even though San Francisco couldn’t attempt field goals in the second half of last week’s loss to Arizona with Moody injured. As long as he performs, Wright could be a fantasy-relevant contributor for the duration of Moody’s stint on the sidelines.