San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody suffered a sprained ankle during Week 5’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. His replacement, Matthew Wrightinjured his shoulder four days later. Both injuries occurred while the kickers were making tackles on special teams.

Wright was placed on injured reserve, while the 49ers kept Moody on the active roster, hoping for his return sooner rather than later. In the meantime, the team added kicker Anders Carlson to the practice squad, elevating him to play in the final two games.

Moody, a 2023 third-round pick, returned to practice Monday and could be poised to return to action, potentially as soon as this weekend’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers have reportedly released Carlson from the practice squad to make room for the signing of veteran safety Tashaun Gipson.

On Monday, Moody expressed cautious optimism about his return.

“I’m slowly getting back to things on the field,” Moody said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I’m just progressing, making sure I take all the necessary steps, not rushing, just taking one step at a time.”

Moody noted that the positive side of his injury is that it occurred on his kicking leg rather than his planting foot.

“Just the amount of pressure and force that’s put on the foot of your plant when you plant, especially on kickoffs, it can be a little harder to recover from, to rebuild that force, so the fact that it’s my kick is probably a better thing,” Moody said.

Carlson’s release suggests Moody is close to returning from his injury and could play for the 49ers again this weekend at Raymond James Stadium.