Vikings Addition in Danger of Missing Training Camp
The Vikings have prioritized signing injured players this offseason in an attempt to gain some value and perhaps get the players for a salary below their actual value. That bet worked out wonderfully with Andrew Van Ginkel a year ago, who suffered a foot injury in the final game of the season, and his status for training camp was in question all offseason.
Vikings Addition in Danger of Missing Training Camp
But he returned just in time, played all 18 games, went to the Pro Bowl, and earned a second-team All-Pro nod following his career year.
This year, Will Fries, Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen, and Rondale Moore are all players to watch going forward.
At the NFL’s Annual League Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, Kevin O’Connell was asked about the status of his many previously injured newcomers and whether one of them might miss parts of training camp.
“The only one that I believe we’ll be really looking to see if he has a normal training camp or not is Rondale Moore, as far as I’ve been told,” O’Connell replied.
Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury in last year’s training camp with the Falcons and never suited up for them. Prior to signing with the Vikings, he visited a couple of other franchises, and a medical examination surely was part of those visits.
The speedster brings an intriguing skill set to the table, considering Justin Jefferson is paired with Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor, who both function as vertical field stretchers. Moore, meanwhile, is a shifty short-yardage guy who can make people miss as a screen receiver and pass-catcher over the middle of the field.
His NFL career has been disappointing so far because the expectations were quite high for the 5-7 wideout. He had an outstanding freshman season at Purdue, leading the Big Ten in receptions (114), yards (1,258), and touchdowns (12). Moore also added 213 yards and two scores on the ground and returned punts and kicks.
In his following two seasons, Moore only appeared in a total of seven games. Despite all of those struggles, his second-round draft status indicates how dynamic of a player he can be if he is healthy.
The Cardinals drafted him 49th overall in 2021. In each of his three seasons, Moore registered between 352 and 435 receiving yards and exactly one receiving touchdown. He was then traded to the Falcons for backup QB Desmond Ridder.
Coming off the knee injury, Moore only received a one-year contract worth up to $2 million, with little guarantees. If healthy, Moore could be an explosive weapon for the Vikings, but he missed plenty of time in college and only played 39 games in his four-year NFL career.
His status will be something to monitor.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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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