SANTA CLARA — The new Jake Moody is all the new 49ers special teams coordinator cares about.

Moody, the third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, finished his second year in the league on the absolute low of lows.

He missed nine of his final 20 field-goal attempts after he returned from a high-ankle sprain to finish out last season.

“I see a guy who lost his confidence a little bit but, but I also see a guy who was injured half the year,” Boyer said of Moody. “He’s a super talented kid. He just has to get his stinger back.”

Moody, 25, is in a competition with Greg Joseph, who turns 31 on Aug. 4. Joseph has kicked for six different teams in six seasons since entering the NFL in 2018.

Joseph ended last season with the New York Jets, where Boyer spent nine seasons as special-teams coordinator. Coach Kyle Shanahan hired Boyer to replace Brian Schneider as coordinator early in the offseason.

Boyer endorsed Joseph to enter the competition against Moody.

“It should develop into a really good competition,” Boyer said. “I think they  could have kicked a little better today.”

On Friday, Joseph missed two of his four field-goal attempts, while Moody was 3-for-4. His miss came from 50 yards.

The competition at kicker is getting the attention of many of the players up and down the 49ers’ roster, including defensive end Nick Bosa. He said this week that he finds it “exciting.”

Boyer likes to see that kind of interest from players on all sides of the ball.

“I think it’s cool that everybody’s watching and it puts that added pressure on, because that’s where you’re going to find out who has the upper leg,” Boyer said.

Moody is hoping to find a groove — and job security — with a new approach. He has opted to replace his normal kicking style with a two-step technique that he believes will lead to better accuracy.,

“What that did, at least in my mind, was keep everything shorter and more consistent as far as fewer variables of having a third jab-step,” Moody said. “Taking that out, gets me to the ball a little quicker. It allows me to really see the ball on the ground and make some good contact.”

Moody said he patterned his change after long-time, successful NFL kickers who used the same approach, such as Adam Vinatieri, Matt Prater and Mason Crosby. Moody said his two-step style will only cut a yard or two off his range.

As the competition continues, Boyer said all that matters is what he sees from this point forward. None of Moody’s issues of the past will be considered when it is time to make a decision at the end of training camp.

“It doesn’t matter what he did in the past,” Boyer said of Moody. “I want to see what he does from here on. You try to give everybody a clean slate when you get here.”

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