In 2011, 49ers kicker David Akers couldn’t do much wrong.
He set NFL records for most field goals and most points by a kicker in a single season and broke Jerry Rice’s team record for points by any player in a season. He made the Pro Bowl and it looked like things were on track for another strong year this year when he tied another NFL record with a 63-yard field goal early this season.
Things have taken a bumpy turn for Akers since then, however. He’s hit on 19-of-27 field goals this season and he’s missed multiple field goals in a game on three different occasions, including Sunday’s 31-21 win over the Saints. He also missed a field goal in overtime of the 49ers’ recent tie with the Rams. The struggles are enough for the 49ers to check out other options in the event they decide to make a change at kicker in the coming weeks.
Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange reports that the team had Billy Cundiff and Nate Kaeding in for tryouts on Tuesday. Cundiff was released by the Redskins earlier this year and Kaeding was bounced from San Diego after missing time with a groin injury.
Neither man signed immediately, which means Akers hasn’t run out of chances in San Francisco just yet.