49ers place George Kittle on injured reserve, waive kicker Jake Moody

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — While tight end George Kittle will miss at least the 49ers’ next four games on injured reserve, kicker Jake Moody will not suit up for them anymore.

The 49ers waived Moody, a 2023 third-round pick, after two of his three field-goal attempts went awry in Sunday’s 17-13 season-opening win at Seattle.

Kittle went on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury that sidelined him before halftime Sunday. He scored the 49ers’ first touchdown of the season (5-yard reception) to cap a 95-yard opening drive, and he totaled three catches before watching the remainder from the sideline.

In other moves, Kendrick Bourne officially signed a one-year, $5 million deal, and fellow wide receiver Robbie Chosen was released from the practice squad.

The 49ers did not immediately name a replacement for Moody, but veteran Eddy Piñeiro reportedly was brought in for a workout, according to NFL Network. Piñeiro kicked the past three seasons for Carolina, after playing the final five games of 2021 with the New York Jets, who were coached by Robert Saleh and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, both of whom are now on Kyle Shanahan’s staff.

Jake Tonges, one of the 49ers’ backup tight ends, produced the game-winning points by snatching Brock Purdy’s 4-yard touchdown pass with 1:34 remaining. Luke Farrell is the only other tight end on the roster, but Brayden Willis is an option to come up from the practice squad.

The 49ers have lost 11 of the last 14 games Kittle did not play, and they’re 7-12 without him since 2017. Hamstring injuries kept him out of losses last season at the Los Angeles Rams (Week 3) and against the Seahawks (Week 11).

The earliest Kittle could return is Week 6 at Tampa Bay, which is the likeliest spot also for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to make his debut off the Physically Unable to Perform list.

Another injured player who shouldn’t be overlooked is quarterback Brock Purdy, who sustained toe and left shoulder injuries Sunday that could prompt the 49ers to start Mac Jones in his place this week at New Orleans.

After visiting the Saints, the 49ers are home on consecutive Sundays against the Arizona Cardinals and the Jacksonville Jaguars before a Thursday night game at the Los Angeles. That short week of practice may have played into Kittle going on IR for the full four-game hiatus; he caught all four of his targets Sunday, including Purdy’s initial third-down conversion.

Although coach Kyle Shanahan expressed loyalty to Moody immediately after Sunday’s game, he was visibly frustrated after the initial field-goal miss, and Shanahan backtracked Tuesday to state the 49ers could try out other kickers or add one to the practice squad. “I know the personnel department’s going to look into all that stuff and give us those options,” Shanahan said.

Moody’s final gaffes — a 27-yard try off the left upright a minute before halftime, a 36-yarder blocked in the third quarter — carried over bad mojo that has followed him since the end of his rookie season. Such as:

— He missed 11 of 23 field-goal attempts since being rushed back from a high-ankle sprain last season.

— Moody made 46 of 62 field-goal field-goal attempts with the 49ers, but was just 6 of 12 from at least 50 yards. He missed his final point-after kick at Levi’s Stadium in last season’s home finale against Detroit.

— Drafted No. 99 overall, Moody made his first nine field-goal attempts (three each in his first three games) for a team headed for the Super Bowl. He foiled the 49ers’ undefeated, 5-0 start, however, when he missed a 41-yard, last-seconds attempt in a 19-17 loss at Cleveland.

— Moody finished his rookie season by missing a kick in each of the final four games, including field-goal attempts in the regular-season finale and two playoff wins before a point-after kick got blocked in the Super Bowl overtime loss to Kansas City.

— Last season, Moody went 6 for 6 on field-goal tries in an opening win over the New York Jets. He made his first 14 attempts to start the season before injuring his ankle attempting a tackle on a kick return. After a three-game hiatus, Moody made a dramatic return at Tampa Bay, missing his first three field-goal attempts and drawing a sideline confrontation with Deebo Samuel before Moody made a 44-yard, walk-off field goal as time expired in that 23-20 victory.

— Moody entered training camp in a competition with Greg Joseph, who was cut after nine practices.

— Moody’s 59-yard, walk-off field goal won the 49ers’ preseason game last month at Las Vegas, after which special teams coordinator Brant Boyer said: “It could change his career. It’s one of those kicks where, what I really liked about his response from the (53)-yard miss. He showed a lot of character in that moment where he came back and hit two clutch ones. The one to tie it, and the one to win it. I think he showed the moxie he has and the confidence he’s starting to gain. I think it was critical for him.”

— In the preseason finale, Moody missed a point-after attempt and had a kickoff go out of bounds.

— In Sunday’s season-opening win, he made a 32-yard field goal to tie the score at 10 with 9:42 remaining, and he made the point-after kick following Tonges’ touchdown.

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