The Vikings Have a New Speedster
The Vikings have employed some fast guys over the years. Of course, Randy Moss comes to mind. The Hall of Famer displayed absurd acceleration and top speed. In recent years, kick returner Kene Nwangwu has surely ranked among the fastest Vikings. According to 40-yard dashes, Kalon Barnes, once a depth cornerback with a 4.23-second run, deserves a mention.
The Vikings Have a New Speedster
Now, the Vikings acquired a guy with some speed, although not quite at Barnes’ level, with a 4.32 40-time.
Rondale Moore agreed to terms with the franchise, the Vikings announced.
Moore had a visit with the Vikings last week. He also met with the Bears, Jets, and Titans but ultimately picked Minnesota as his third destination in the NFL, concluding the first free-agent journey of his career.
The wideout started his career in Arizona as a promising second-round pick out of Purdue. He was injury-riddled entering the draft, but his otherworldly freshman campaign in 2018, with 114 catches for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns, was enough to draw the NFL’s attention. That year, the man also added 213 rushing yards on a 10.1-yards per attempt clip and two touchdowns.
Arizona was intrigued. Unfortunately, he has never returned to the production of freshman days, not in two college seasons or at the next level.
In three seasons in Arizona, Moore recorded 435, 414, and 352 yards, as well as one touchdown in each year. Overall, he registered 1,201 receiving yards and three touchdowns in addition to 249 rushing yards and one score.
After year three, the Cardinals shipped him to Atlanta for backup QB Desmond Ridder, but a knee injury suffered in training camp cost him his fourth NFL season.
Moore brings speed and explosiveness to Minnesota’s WR room, but his size is down at 5-7 and 181 lbs. It will be fascinating to see how Kevin O’Connell will use him in his offense. He isn’t a traditional receiver but more of a gadget player who can catch screens.
His play style and usage as a screen receiver have resulted in some rather funny statistics, like his average depth of target of 4.2 in his career, meaning he is, on average, only four yards past the line of scrimmage when targeted, and there are games when his average is a negative number.
The good news is that he is able to make defenders miss like few others with his quickness and speed. In an offense that has been built around vertical passes, having someone first-year starter J.J. McCarthy can just swing the ball to for a short but easy completion is a nice wrinkle.
At this point, the Vikings employ eight receivers.
- Justin Jefferson
- Jordan Addison
- Jalen Nailor
- Rondale Moore
- Tim Jones
- Lucky Jackson
- Jeshaun Jones
- Thayer Thomas
Jefferson and Addison are the unrivaled starters. Nailor was the WR3 last season and he tabulated over 400 yards and six touchdowns. He is a different kind of receiver, so there should be a role for both him and Moore.
The Vikings currently don’t have a candidate for the vacant punt returner job. Moore returned some in 2021 and in college and could be an option to replace Brandon Powell, who is still a free agent.
Moore is still only 24 years old, and he brings a fun skill set to the table. Health must be the first priority for the fifth-year player and then he can become an exciting chess piece in O’Connell’s offense.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Vikings Found a “Foundational Piece” In Free Agency
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt