The San Francisco 49ers have been much improved on special teams this season, thanks in large part to kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who came in after the Niners moved on from Jake Moody after Week 1.
However, Moody's shadow still looms over San Francisco with Piñeiro trying to return from injury.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic reported that Piñeiro is possible to return this week, ranking him as the most likely candidate compared to other injured 49ers players, and fill-in kicker Matt Gay's subsequent release indicated the former's imminent return.
The Niners would certainly like to have their kicker back, considering he hasn't missed a field goal all season. He has missed four extra points and actually got injured on one of those attempts a few weeks ago against the Arizona Cardinals, which forced the 49ers to bring in Gay for a few weeks.
While one hopes Piñeiro will pick up right where he left off before the injury, the Niners saw firsthand last season how an injury can derail a kicker's season.
49ers don't want repeat issues with post-injury kickers
Moody went down with a high-ankle sprain last season trying to make a tackle on a kickoff. He had done fine up to that point in the season, but after his return from that injury, he was just not right at all. He finished the season making 24 of his 34 field-goal attempts after coming back.
Moody has been much better this season in split duties with both the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders after San Francisco moved on from him, but the Niners must be at least a little worried they will see a repeat of 2024 with Piñeiro.
Piñeiro injured his right hamstring, which is his kicking leg. Moody also injured his kicking leg, and while they are two different injuries, whenever a kicker injures his kicking leg, there is always the chance it could throw things off for them.
Piñeiro has had three weeks to recover after the injury, so the hope is it has all healed up and he will not even be thinking about it the next time he is on the field. But hamstrings can be a pesky injury and have a tendency to linger for a while.
The Niners are in good position to make the playoffs, but there are no guarantees. They may be playing some close games coming down the stretch with major playoff implications, and they'll need to have full trust in their kicker.
One hopes Eddy Dinero will be ready to go on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans and has a great game and feels fine.
But with all of the special teams issues the Niners have had the last few seasons, one cannot help but fear that things will go haywire.