Injured Vikings Playmaker Now Proceeding Without a “Pitch Count”
Rondale Moore, an injured Vikings playmaker, is doing well. So well, in fact, that he no longer appears to be injured.
At the end of last week, Kevin O’Connell chatted about his new receiver, describing a really positive health update: “I think what I’ve been most excited about is we’ve been monitoring him just how he recovers, but he put himself in a position to really not be on any pitch counts or restrictions early on.”
Injured Vikings Playmaker Rondale Moore is Healthy
The more you can do. That’s going to be the name of the game for Mr. Moore.
Yes, he’s a receiver, but that happens to be a position where Minnesota doesn’t lack for talent. The presence of Justin Jefferson alone is enough to put a fright into the defense. Go ahead and toss Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, and Tai Felton into the mix. Oh, and T.J. Hockenson is one of the more dangerous tight ends in the NFL and Aaron Jones has some silky mitts.
Moore is looking to show that he can be either the WR3 or WR4 while — most importantly — also being a helpful addition on special teams.
Still only 25 despite having four years of NFL experience, Moore began his career with the Cardinals before moving onto the Falcons. The issue is that he has struggled to live up to his 2nd-Round draft slot. More concerningly, there was the injury that robbed him of his entire 2024 season.
He’s a very small player, coming in at just 5’7″ and 181 pounds. Where he wins is by being very quick and shifty.
Maybe his most promising season — at least per the basic numbers — arrived in 2022. Moore turned 56 targets into 41 catches for 414 yards and 1 touchdown. The 10.1 yards-per-reception average is the best of his career. Oh, and he did that work within just eight games. So, the health is a concern, which is to say nothing of his 6 drops for the ’22 season.
And then one thinks of special teams, a phase of the game where the Vikings are looking for a new punt returner.
With Kevin O’Connell and Matt Daniels in charge, the punt returning has been lackluster. Can Rondale Moore change that reality? He certainly looks like a promising candidate, someone who isn’t the largest player on the field but who could be the quickest. After all, we’re talking about someone who ran a 4.28 forty, an elite time.
His 22 career punt returns have gone for a total of 182 yards, working out to a modest average sitting at 8.3 yards per return. Minnesota would be hoping that the average could be closer to 10 yards were Mr. Moore to become the PR1. Ideally, the returner could even inspire a some concern in the punter for the other team; knowing that one is booting the ball to a home-run threat of a returner may prompt the other team to emphasize placement rather than just hang-time and distance.
Rondale Moore is working on a single-season, prove-it deal. The total compensation sits at just $2 million and the cap charge rests at $1.4 million. A cut would mean recouping $1.15 million in cap space.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
