49ers release DL mainstay to bring in competition for struggling kicker

The San Francisco 49ers officially added some competition for struggling kicker Jake Moody.

On Monday the club announced veteran kicker Greg Joseph is joining the club on a one-year deal. To make room on the 90-man roster they released veteran defensive lineman Alex Barrett.

Joseph has been in the NFL since 2018 when he signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted rookie. He debuted that year with the Cleveland Browns and moved on to the Tennessee Titans for a year before landing with the Minnesota Vikings for three years. Last season he played six games for the New York Giants, one for the Washington Commanders and one for the New York Jets.

In 75 games Joseph has connected on 82.3 percent of 141 field goal attempts. He’s also hit 157 of 173 extra point tries.

He’ll provide a veteran second option for the club behind Moody after the 2023 third-round pick struggled mightily last season. He missed 10 of his 34 kicks, and his 70.6 percent made field goal rate was the lowest for any player with at least 34 field goal attempts since 2012.

The job is likely Moody’s to lose. He’d need to continue struggling for Joseph to eclipse him by final cuts.

Barrett has been a mainstay on the 49ers’ practice squad since 2020. He played in seven games that year and posted five tackles. He didn’t play in the regular season again until last year when he saw action in three games and put up two tackles.

More 49ers: 49ers sign 4-time All-Pro to $63 million contract extension

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers free agents: Greg Joseph signed, Alex Barrett released