Vikings Receiver Suffers Heartbreaking Injury
This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings signed some reclamation projects, in the hope of getting the best out of them. Jeff Okudah, the former third-overall pick, has never lived up to his potential, but the early results are quite positive. Another one of those once-promising players was Rondale Moore, a speedy wideout in his fifth season.
Vikings Receiver Suffers Heartbreaking Injury
Unfortunately, Moore will not get a chance to show his skills anytime soon. Used as a punt returner in the Vikings’ first preseason contest, Moore was tackled on his first attempt and stayed down after a tackle. Ultimately, he was carted off.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote after the game, “On his first return, Texans linebacker Jamal Hill tackled him as he ran out of bounds after a 2-yard gain. In the process, Hill pulled Moore awkwardly over his left leg. Athletic trainers quickly brought out a cart. Moore’s frustration was evident; he slammed his hands so hard on the back of the cart that the sound could be heard throughout the stadium.”
It was evident pretty quickly: Moore suffered another bad injury. The speedy receiver missed all of last season because of a knee injury in training camp with the Atlanta Falcons. After the game, Kevin O’Connell confirmed that it is a “pretty significant knee injury” for the favorite to return punts for the 2025 Vikings as well as contribute on offense.
O’Connell added, “It’s one of the most painful things for me as a head coach when I feel that emotion. I make a life out of trying to leave others better than I found them. In that situation, there is nothing I can do, which is the worst feeling as a coach. So you just consult with him and make sure that he knows he’s not going to be alone.”
Sadly, long absences have not been rare in Moore’s once promising career. He was electric in his freshman season at Purdue, looking like a future high draft pick. However, he played in only seven games over the next two seasons and ended up getting drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round.
Arizona thought they could rekindle some of that freshman magic, but he hasn’t had his breakout campaign, resulting in a total of 1,201 receiving yards in three seasons. Last year, the Falcons traded for him to give Kirk Cousins another weapon, but the duo never shared the field due to Moore’s injury.
He returned just in time for training camp in July and had a shot at not only making the team, but claiming a big role as well.
Just two days before the injury, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said: “I think that’s probably the most surprising thing that I’ve seen out of Rondale is the explosion is still there, especially considering the injury that he did suffer last year, coming off of it. The confidence is still there, and that’s always the biggest thing when you’re coming off these injuries. How do they handle it from a mental standpoint, more so than the physical aspect of it and I think he’s done an unbelievable job of rehabbing and really coming back to his own. I would say that 4.28-speed is still on display and the Porsche is ready to go.”
Sometimes teams get positive news after initially fearing the worst, but those cases are rare. In all likelihood, Moore will be sidelined for quite some time again.
Moore turned 25 in June.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.