General manager John Lynch had a surprising admission Wednesday: The San Francisco 49ers might have been surprised by how a significant injury to Jake Moody’s kicking leg impacted his ability to kick last season.

Lynch said at the NFL combine that the 49ers could have regrets about activating Moody from injured reserve prematurely in November after he missed three games with a high ankle sprain.

“We maybe kick ourselves for letting him come back,” Lynch said to a group of Bay Area reporters.

It’s fair for the 49ers to second-guess themselves based on Moody’s disastrous second half of the season.

Before he was injured in Week 5, Moody made 13 of 14 attempts, including 5 of 6 from 40-plus yards. In nine games after he returned, Moody made 11 of 20 attempts and was 5-for-14 from 40-plus yards. Moody finished with a field-goal percentage (70.6%) that ranked 32nd out of 36 qualifying kickers.

Moody’s tailspin inspired speculation about the 49ers possibly releasing him after they drafted him in the third round in 2023, making him the NFL’s highest-drafted kicker since 2016. Lynch said Wednesday the 49ers could being in competition for Moody this offseason, but that they retained confidence he could kick consistently after showing promising flashes during his brief career.

As a rookie, Moody made 21 of 25 attempts and made 60 straight extra-point attempts, the NFL’s longest streak since extra points became 33-yard tries in 2015. Moody also became the only player in Super Bowl history to make multiple field goals of 50 yards or more in the same game, but one of his extra-point attempts was blocked in a 25-22 overtime loss to the Chiefs.

“We’ve had really honest discussions with Jake, and I know that’s a hot-button” topic, Lynch said. “We still have a lot of belief in him, and we believe that the injury had a lot to do with that … I think it’s an odd injury. We consulted the soccer teams. We consulted with everyone because it’s a hard deal. It’s a kicker. How does that affect you?”

The 49ers appeared to receive an immediate answer about how Moody’s injury affected him last season. Moody’s first game back was the worst of his career. He missed three kicks (44, 49 and 50 yards) before making a 44-yard game-winner in a 23-20 win over the Buccaneers on Nov. 10.

It was the start of his prolonged slump, and Moody addressed his issues with reporters in late December. Moody didn’t blame any lingering physical problems, but he said his layoff probably played a role in his inconsistency.

“This is my first time getting injured midseason and missing time,” Moody said. “It’s been a big learning experience. Just how to deal with it. How to go through all the rehab for it, come back and kind of pick up where you left off … which can be tough, especially in kicking.”

During a game last season in which Moody missed a field goal, Lynch said he received a text from former Pro Bowl kicker Jason Elam, his teammate with the Broncos from 2004-07.

“It was just out of the blue — I haven’t talked to him in five years,” Lynch said. “He texted me and he said, ‘This guy is a talented dude, and he’s got a real good swing. … He’s going to make a lot more than he’s going to miss. You know he’s in this in his head right now, so help him through.’”

The 49ers activated Moody from IR last season after their fill-in kickers, Matthew Wright and Anders Carlson, combined to make 8 of 8 field-goal attempts in his absence. Months later, they could bring in a kicker who could replace Moody on a permanent basis, but Lynch is optimistic that Moody will retain his job and realize his potential.

“We’re very hopeful that Jake, what we had envisioned for him, is still very possible,” Lynch said.