Eddy Pineiro
Pineiro is still San Francisco's kicker coming out of the bye, but he is on the shakiest footing of his two years there, and the coach would not rule out a change.
Role
He is the 49ers' only kicker in the reporting I found: field goals and extra points, with no competition on the roster named. Shanahan said Monday that the team is not trying out any kickers (NBC Sports Bay Area via Yahoo, Oct. 26-27). The 49ers are 6-1 and enter their bye. Scoring chances depend on the offense, which was without its most talented wide receivers in Atlanta (Press Democrat). Pineiro has attempted only nine field goals in seven games and went 21-for-25 on extra points (Yahoo Sports). I did not find snap or attempt projections.
The job looks safe for now, and the sample is small. Shanahan shut down speculation about tryouts. Pineiro signed a four-year, $17 million extension in March, and releasing him would be costly: $10 million is guaranteed across 2026 and 2027. Last year he made all but one of 29 field goals after joining in Week 2, and his only miss was from 64 yards. He said he was kicking well in warmups, and that this is fixable on film during the bye. The 49ers are a 6-1 contender, so scoring chances should keep coming.
He has missed at least one kick in every game this season. His seven misses, four extra points and three field goals, are the most in the NFL (AP's Josh Dubow via Ninernoise). He has made six of nine field goals. His extra-point rate since 2015 ranks 47th of 49 kickers with 100-plus attempts (Press Democrat). The miss at Atlanta came after a touchdown that made it 26-20, and it left San Francisco needing two scores after Atlanta added a late field goal. Shanahan said he had not talked to anyone about tryouts and would discuss it on the plane. That is not a commitment, and a change at kicker is possible if the misses continue.
Where analysts split
Whether the 49ers will actually replace him. Heavy and A to Z Sports read Shanahan's postgame answer as a real warning and think a change is likely or needed. The Press Democrat's Inman calls the numbers alarming but not fireable given the contract. NBC Sports Bay Area reports a vote of confidence after Shanahan's Monday call. Everyone agrees he has kicked poorly. The disagreement is how much the money and the small sample protect him.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at K
Fantasy Memo reads your league and answers that every Tuesday, and checks again before kickoff.
Connect your league: 14 days free