1st-year 49ers who may not even play a single snap for San Francisco

There are plenty of first-year 49ers players who may just wind up having a "cup of coffee" with the team in 2023.
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Jalen Graham (50)
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Jalen Graham (50) / Michael Zagaris/GettyImages
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Carolina Panthers, Zane Gonzalez
Carolina Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez / Eakin Howard/GettyImages

No. 2: 49ers kicker Zane Gonzalez

Prior to the 2023 draft, veteran kicker Zane Gonzalez appeared as if he was going to be handed the 49ers' kicking job after the team elected to let Robbie Gould depart via NFL free agency.

The Niners engineered a trade with the Carolina Panthers for Gonzalez, although a seventh-round pick swap wasn't enough to put this deal into a "blockbuster" category. In fact, it was still feasible for San Francisco to explore other options at kicker despite Gonzalez being rostered.

Once the 49ers used a Round 3 draft pick on former Michigan kicker Jake Moody, Gonzalez's future was all but sealed.

Read more: Don't expect Zane Gonzalez to play a single snap for 49ers

Moody either needs to flame out completely or suffer an injury prior to Week 1 of the regular season for Gonzalez to have a chance at hanging around.

Until then, he's merely training camp competition for the rookie.