Inside The Vikings

Vikings hosting free agent receiver Rondale Moore on visit

Moore is a former second-round pick who could add a different element to the Vikings' offense.

Will Ragatz

Sep 24, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) runs the ball in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at State Farm Stadium.
Sep 24, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore (4) runs the ball in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at State Farm Stadium. / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
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The Vikings are hosting former Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore on a free agent visit at TCO Performance Center on Friday, the team announced.

Moore, who turns 25 this summer, was the 49th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2021 after a promising but injury-plagued career at Purdue. The 5'7" gadget receiver spent three years with the Falcons, totaling just under 1,500 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. Last year, he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons but missed the entire season due to a knee injury.

When healthy, Moore has some electric physical traits. He's undersized, but he's an elite athlete who ran a 4.32 40 and put up great numbers in the agility tests, jumps, and bench press at the 2021 combine. As a freshman at Purdue in 2018, he was an All-American who racked up 1,471 total yards and 14 touchdowns with an eye-popping highlight reel. The Cardinals took a swing on that potential when they made him a top-50 pick.

Vikings fans might be familiar with Moore's name. Coincidentally, the two best performances of his career have come against Minnesota. There was a Week 2 game in his rookie season of 2021, when he caught a 77-yard touchdown pass and finished with 114 yards in a 34-33 Arizona win. Then, in 2022, he had 104 total yards and a TD in a Cardinals loss at U.S. Bank Stadium. In three years, those were the only two games Moore had with over 100 yards from scrimmage.

Injuries are a concern, and it hasn't all come together in the NFL for Moore the way some thought it might during his college career, but he'd be an intriguing addition to the Vikings' offense. He's still young and is very capable of making people miss with the ball in his hands. Kevin O'Connell could use him on screens and end-arounds and other manufactured touches in addition to standard routes out of the slot. He can even theoretically play some running back.

Moore would basically be the Brandon Powell replacement in the Vikings' offense, and because he's four years younger than Powell, he'd come with a bit more upside. Moore also returned both kickoffs and punts for the Cardinals during his rookie season.

It's unclear if this visit means the Vikings aren't still in on Cooper Kupp, who is expected to make his decision on Friday. The two are very different players and could perhaps both be signed, but maybe Minnesota is looking for a cheaper player like Moore to complement Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor in its wide receiver room.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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