The San Francisco 49ers enter their Week 2 matchup against the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium with only a couple of real questions on their injury report. One of them centers on kicker Eddy Piñeiro.
Piñeiro’s Illness and Status for Sunday
Piñeiro, 31, missed practice all week while dealing with an illness, enough to land him on the team’s game-status report as questionable. Despite that, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports reported the 49ers expect Piñeiro to be active and playing on Sunday against the Dolphins.
The 49ers on Saturday had tryouts with veteran kickers Greg Joseph and Younghoe Koo but did not sign either one of them.
Why the 49ers Brought in Other Kickers
San Francisco wasn’t taking any chances in the meantime. Maiocco also reported the team worked out two veteran kickers over the weekend as a contingency plan. Those kickers were Younghoe Koo and Greg Joseph. Neither kicker was signed. That lines up with the expectation that Piñeiro will suit up as planned.
Koo, 32, has made stops with the Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants over his career. He’s connected on 85.3 percent of his field goals and 95.9 percent of his extra points. He made a Pro Bowl with Atlanta back in 2020.
Joseph, also 32, has bounced around more. He’s spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, the Giants, Washington Commanders and New York Jets. He’s made 82.3 percent of his field goals and 90.8 percent of his extra points for his career. He actually spent last offseason with San Francisco before the 49ers opted to stick with Jake Moody instead.
49ers’ Other Roster Moves This Week
The kicker situation wasn’t the only news on San Francisco’s injury front. In addition, the team placed rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling on injured reserve. He underwent ankle surgery earlier in the week, and as a result, coach Kyle Shanahan said Stribling is expected to miss approximately 10 weeks as he recovers.
Meanwhile, to fill that roster spot, San Francisco promoted defensive lineman Ogbo Okoronkwo to the 53-man roster. Okoronkwo had previously been elevated from the practice squad for Week 1, during which he played 18 snaps in San Francisco’s 27-7 season-opening win over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. Overall, he finished that game with a quarterback pressure to his credit.
Running Back Depth Also in Question
Backup running back Kaelon Black is dealing with his own uncertainty heading into Sunday, landing on the injury report as questionable with a groin issue. He was limited in practice both Thursday and Friday. Second-year player Jordan James sits behind Christian McCaffrey and Black on the depth chart, and would presumably see an uptick in touches if Black can’t go against Miami.
Eddy Piñeiro Update: Will 49ers Kicker Play vs. Dolphins?