49ers pre-training camp 53-man roster prediction: Who survives cuts?
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49ers' Specialists
K Jake Moody
P Mitch Wishnowsky
LS Taybor Pepper
No surprises here, with kicker Jake Moody heading into his second season after an up and down (but mostly successful) rookie campaign and punter Mitch Wishnowsky and long snapper Taybor Pepper both under contract for two (Pepper) or three (Wishnowsky) more seasons.
The league's new kickoff rules will provide this unit with some interesting opportunities, as kickoffs won't be all about booming the ball into the back of the endzone, since touchbacks are now a bit more punative than they have been in the past.
Whether that means Wishnowsky features more as a kickoff option remains to be seen, but it is certainly something that the special teams coaches may be considering.
Moody's focus, however, will be on continued improvement as a field goal kicker, especially in the midrange, having struggled the most between 40-49 yards during his rookie year.
He showed off his leg, kicking two 50+ yard field goals in the Super Bowl and connecting on two of three from that distance in the regular season, but consistency will need to be Moody's calling card moving forward.
Final Thoughts
As I said, this roster stands among the best in the NFL and there will be very few major decisions to make heading into the 2024 season. But that doesn't mean there won't be some guys on the fringes who can impact the season somehow.
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