HEADLINES

Rondale Moore

WR Notes: Toney, Rams, Lions, Cards, Cooks

September 30th, 2022 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants will enter their Week 4 game with Richie James, David Sills and Kenny Golladay as their top available wide receivers. Wan’Dale Robinson will miss a third straight game, while Kadarius Toney will be out for a second. The Toney-Giants relationship is steadily deteriorating. This regime is “clearly” not high on the Dave Gettleman-era first-round pick, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports writes. Repeated injury problems have slowed Toney with the Giants, who saw the Eagles trade in front of them to nab DeVonta Smith last year. Reports connected the Giants to the Heisman winner ahead of last year’s draft. Toney will have missed nine career games by Sunday, due to various lower-body ailments, and the current Giants regime’s Golladay handling shows it is not afraid to bury bad investments. It would seem Darius Slayton — another player who has not impressed the current staff, leading to trade buzz — will see more run in Week 4, but Vacchiano adds the Giants will likely be looking for at least two new wideouts in 2023. Toney joined Slayton in being linked in trade rumors, albeit briefly, this offseason. Robinson, a second-round rookie, appears the only lock to be back.

Here is the latest from the receiver scene around the league:

  • Allen Robinson flashed often during Rams training camp, and determining this signing will fail after three games is ill-advised. But early indications are Robinson’s 2021 Bears performance was not an outlier. The veteran dropped a touchdown pass against the Cardinals and has just seven catches for 88 yards with Los Angeles. The Rams came in with a monster offer — three years, $46.5MM; $30MM fully guaranteed — to sign the former Jaguars and Bears wideout, using their cap space on the ninth-year player after Von Miller chose the Bills. Other teams were interested in Robinson, albeit at lower price points, but SI.com’s Albert Breer notes teams did not like what Robinson put on tape. That is not exactly surprising, considering how badly Robinson’s final Bears season (38 receptions, 410 yards, one touchdown) went. But the early returns on Robinson’s Rams deal are not promising. Rams-Odell Beckham Jr. connections will likely continue.
  • The Lions are being patient with Jameson Williams, who is recovering from an ACL tear sustained during the national championship game. Williams is on Detroit’s reserve/NFI list, and while the first-round wideout could return in Week 5, he will not. The Alabama product is likelier to be back in early November, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press posits. Williams recently posted a video of him running and cutting. A second-half return has always been rumored for Williams, whom the Lions traded up 20 spots to draft. But no setbacks having occurred here obviously represents a good sign for the rebuilding franchise.
  • The Cardinals‘ receiving corps will not be at full strength until at least Week 7, when DeAndre Hopkins is eligible to return from his PED suspension. But the team may have one of its previously unavailable weapons in uniform Sunday. Rondale Moore is tracking toward returning from his hamstring injury, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. The 2021 second-rounder, who caught 54 passes for 435 yards as a rookie, has missed Arizona’s first three games. He managed three limited practices this week. Marquise Brown, who suffered a foot injury in Week 3, is also likely to play. A.J. Green will miss Week 4 with a knee injury.
  • After Brandin Cooks played one game on the base salary he locked in by signing a two-year, $39.76MM extension in April, the Texans converted $831K of that base into a signing bonus. The Texans saved $554K with the move, Wilson notes. Cooks’ salary is down to $1.17MM; it spikes to $18MM next year. Cooks, who is now on his third contract, is signed through 2024.

Cardinals WR Rondale Moore To Miss Multiple Weeks

September 18th, 2022 at 10:50am CST by Rory Parks

Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore sustained a hamstring injury in practice earlier this month, and he missed the club’s regular season opener as a result. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, Moore is expected to miss several more weeks (Twitter link).

That news is not overly surprising, as the original report on the hamstring ailment described it as “serious.” Per Fowler, Arizona will exercise caution here but expects its second-year wideout to avoid IR and to return to the field within a month.

The injury came at an especially unfortunate time for Moore, who was in line for an increased workload in the wake of DeAndre Hopkins‘ six-game suspension and Christian Kirk‘s free agency departure. The diminutive speedster caught most of his passes behind the line of scrimmage in his rookie season, though he was expected to have an expanded route tree and to have more opportunities to operate in space in 2022.

There is still time for that to happen, because when Hopkins is reinstated, it would be fair to expect that he and draft-day trade acquisition Marquise Brown will operate outside the numbers and that Moore will assume Kirk’s role in the slot, which was the plan before Moore’s injury. Nonetheless, the team is also rostering Greg Dortch, A.J. Green, Andy Isabella, and Andre Baccellia, with Brown, Dortch, and Isabella all representing viable slot options. So any lost time is significant for Moore at this point.

Isabella, however, will also miss the team’s Week 2 matchup against the Raiders due to a back injury. Brown, Dortch, and Green will serve as quarterback Kyler Murray‘s top options as the Cardinals seek to rebound from their Week 1 blowout loss at the hands of the Chiefs.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/22

September 10th, 2022 at 7:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league, as teams prepare for the first Sunday slate of regular season games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Cardinals’ moves come as a reaction to yesterday’s injury news. Baccellia’s roster spot was opened up in the short-term by the injury to Rondale Moore, but he won’t simply be a stop-gap. Arizona signed the 25-year-old to a two-year deal to remain on the main roster, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). A UDFA out of Washington, Baccellia has yet to make a regular season NFL appearance.

Likewise, the fact that Ford will miss at least the first four weeks of the season makes the re-acquisition of Garcia a logical one. The former fourth-rounder has plenty of guard experience, including his three seasons spent in Arizona. It was only in 2021 that he logged any starts, but he could provide veteran depth behind Justin Pugh at least until Ford is able to return.

Addison, 35, was one of several veteran signings the Texans made this offseason to add depth to their front seven. He had a productive season with the Bills last season, notching seven sacks despite not starting any games. In his absence, Harris and Pierre-Louis will provide depth in the edge rush department on Sunday, and likely the short-term future as well.

Quick reminder that standard game day practice squad promotions are a recent development from the new CBA and COVID-19 seasons. Essentially, each team is able to promote two players from the practice squad to the active roster for game days. The players will automatically revert back to the practice squad after the game, not needing to clear waivers before rejoining the developmental roster. A player can only be promoted three times per season. If a team would like to promote a player for a fourth game, they’ll need to go through the normal method of creating space on the 53-man roster to promote them and have them clear waivers before placing them back on the practice squad. That is the difference between “Signed to 53-man roster” from the practice squad and “Promoted from practice squad.”

Cardinals Missing Three Starters For Opener With Chiefs

September 9th, 2022 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Not only will Arizona’s talent be tested early with a Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs, but their depth will be tested, as well, with three starters expected to miss the season opener, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team’s injury report leading up to the first game of the season shows wide receiver Rondale Moore, right guard Cody Ford, and cornerback Trayvon Mullen‘s game statuses as “out.” 

Moore is a circumstantial starter to begin with, as DeAndre Hopkins starts the season with a six-game suspension. As a rookie last year, Moore was third on the team in receptions (54) and fifth on the team in receiving yards (435), numbers good enough to earn him the starting role during Hopkins’ absence. Unfortunately, though, Moore suffered a hamstring injury in practice yesterday that was described as “serious.” No official announcement has been made regarding an MRI that Moore took to determine the severity of the injury, but, regardless, a Week 1 absence was the very least of what was expected. With Moore out, Andy Isabella and Greg Dortch will get plenty of snaps as the only two healthy receivers remaining on the roster behind starters Marquise Brown and A.J. Green.

Ford is a former second-round pick for the Bills who slowly fell out of favor with the Bills last season and was traded to Arizona in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Ford had started 15 games, alternating time at guard and tackle. He entered 2020 as the team’s starting right guard and switched over to left guard after three games. After 11 weeks of play, Ford suffered a torn meniscus in practice and spent the remainder of the season on injured reserve. He returned as the starter at right guard to start 2021 but, after some early season struggles, was benched and made a few spot starts in backup duty for the remainder of the year. Ford’s regular season debut as a Cardinal will have to wait as an ankle injury will force Arizona to likely start Justin Pugh in his place.

As another offseason trade acquisition, Mullen’s debut in red and white will have to wait, as well. Mullen was reportedly in danger of being waived in Las Vegas and the Cardinals threw the Raiders a line, offering up a seventh-round pick in exchange for the fourth-year cornerback. One desert team’s loss was another desert team’s gain as the Cardinals slotted Mullen in as their starter opposite Marco Wilson. Mullen had returned to practice in August after ending the season with a toe injury and getting offseason surgery, but the injury appears to have lingered. Mullen hasn’t practiced all week and will miss the season opening matchup with his former division rival. In Mullen’s absence, Arizona will rely on Byron Murphy to start opposite Wilson.

Last year saw the Cardinals jump out to an undefeated, 7-0 start before finishing the season on a 4-6 stretch to limp into the playoffs as a wild card team. The undefeated start to the 2022 season was going to be hard enough with a Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs. The absence of three starters will make things just a touch more challenging.

Cardinals WR Rondale Moore Suffers Hamstring Injury

September 8th, 2022 at 6:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Rondale Moore suffered an injury today during practice. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), the Cardinals wide receiver suffered a hamstring injury that will require further examination.

Moore went down while running a route, and the injury was described as “serious.” The wideout will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

The 22-year-old was a second-round pick by the Cardinals in the 2021 draft. He showed potential during his rookie campaign, hauling in 54 receptions for 435 yards and one score in 14 games (seven starts). Moore also showed off his versatility, compiling another 76 yards on the ground and returning 21 punts and 13 kicks.

The wideout is expected to see a bigger role during his second season in the NFL, especially with DeAndre Hopkins suspended for the first six games. The wideout was expected to start at receiver opposite Marquise Brown, but this latest injury obviously throws a wrench in those plans.

If Moore is forced to miss any time, the Cardinals will have to dig deep into their depth chart for some reinforcement opposite Hollywood. The Cardinals are also rostering A.J. Green, Andy Isabella, and Greg Dortch, with Andre Baccellia and Victor Bolden stashed on the practice squad. It’s worth noting that Zach Ertz is nursing an injury of his own, so Kyler Murray may have a limited selection of pass-catchers on Sunday.

Cardinals WR Rondale Moore In Store For Increased Workload

July 17th, 2022 at 9:39am CST by Rory Parks

Cardinals WR Rondale Moore is expected to see more of the field in 2022, as Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus writes (subscription required). Given the departure of Christian Kirk in free agency and the six-game suspension that DeAndre Hopkins will serve to start the season, that should not come as much of a surprise, but it is noteworthy nonetheless.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury acknowledged earlier this year that Moore — who saw 45% of Arizona’s offensive snaps in his rookie campaign in 2021 — will be a bigger part of the offense, and he specifically referenced the need to give the second-year pro more opportunities in space. Indeed, Moore’s size (5-7, 180) makes it difficult for him to physically dominate off the line of scrimmage, and his high-end speed will be best-utilized if QB Kyler Murray can get him the ball with room to run.

Interestingly, Moore’s ostensible big-play potential was not put on display last year. The Purdue product posted a measly 1.2-yard average depth of target in 2021, which, according to Kevin Cole of Pro Football Focus, was the third-lowest mark among rookie wideouts since 2006 (subscription required). Especially surprising is the fact that, of Moore’s 54 receptions, 37 came behind the line of scrimmage (h/t Neil Dutton of 4for4.com). And, as Cole posits, Arizona’s draft-day acquisition of similarly diminutive speed merchant Marquise Brown could mean that the club does not see Moore as a legitimate field stretcher.

The good news for Moore is that he was quite efficient with his targets, as one would hope for a player running primarily short and intermediate routes. His 54 catches came on just 64 passes thrown in his direction, good for a terrific 84.4% catch rate despite a low 8.1 yards-per-reception average.

Per Alex Sutton of CardsWire.com, the slot receiver role vacated by Kirk is generally assumed to belong to Moore. That is where he saw the majority of his snaps in 2021, and that familiarity can only help. Both Kingsbury and assistant head coach Shawn Jefferson have said that they will expand Moore’s route tree in 2022, and even if he is not asked to run many go routes in 2022, the presence of Brown — and Hopkins, when he returns from suspension — could open up the field for Moore to make the most of his speed and post significant YAC.

In addition to his expected uptick in snaps on the offensive side of the ball, Moore still projects as the club’s primary return man. He returned 21 punts and 13 kickoffs last year, though his averages (8.1 yards per punt return, 22.4 yards per kick return) were not particularly notable.

During Hopkins’ absence, the Cards are expected to have Brown and A.J. Green receive the bulk of the work outside the numbers.

Cardinals Sign Round 2 WR Rondale Moore

June 9th, 2021 at 2:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after coming to terms with first-rounder Zaven Collins on his first NFL contract, the Cardinals signed their second-round pick as well. Rondale Moore agreed to his four-year rookie deal Wednesday.

The Purdue wide receiver navigated a jagged path to Arizona, suffering an injury as a sophomore before becoming one of the players to opt out and then opt back in in 2020. Moore also will be the rare 5-foot-7 NFL wide receiver. But the shifty prospect will be expected to contribute in Kliff Kingsbury‘s offense early.

The Cards drafted Moore 49th overall, making him the third Round 2 wideout the franchise has chosen in four years. Christian Kirk went to Arizona in the 2018 second round, and Andy Isabella went off the board to the Cardinals a year later. Both remain on the roster, but neither has been especially consistent. Isabella has yet to carve out much of a role. The Cards, who signed A.J. Green this offseason, may also be without Larry Fitzgerald for the first time since 2003. Nearly three months into free agency, the future Hall of Famer is unsigned.

A highly regarded recruit in 2018, Moore dominated as a freshman. He totaled 1,471 scrimmage yards — 114 catches, 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air — and earned All-American acclaim and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. Injuries limited Moore in 2019, and he did not begin the conference’s COVID-19-shortened season until midway through the docket.

Moore played just seven games over the past two years, but the Cardinals saw enough over the course of the electric Boilermaker’s run to identify him as a slot helper for Kyler Murray. The Cards now have their entire draft class under contract.

Cardinals Draft Purdue WR Rondale Moore

April 30th, 2021 at 7:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals used the No. 49 pick in the draft to select wide receiver Rondale Moore. Depending on Larry Fitzgerald‘s big decision, the Purdue product could be in line for a significant role in 2021.

Moore dominated as a freshman in 2018, totaling 1,471 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns en route to Big Ten freshman of the year acclaim. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury ended the Boilermaker’s second season after just four games. Rather than enter the NFL only on the strength of his abbreviated underclassman run, the 5-foot-9 standout returned for one more year.

This summer, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler tabbed Moore as his No. 3 wideout prospect for the 2021 class. He wound up playing just three games this past year, but he made the most of them, going off for 35 catches and 270 yards.

Moore is a big-play threat who can make plays in space, and also has been an elite return specialist. His selection could be a sign that Fitzgerald is planning to hang up his cleats.

Arizona also signed A.J. Green this offseason, and this move is only pouring more fuel on the fire that Fitz is leaning toward retirement. With DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk also in tow, Kyler Murray is going to have quite the receiving group at his disposal in 2021.

Purdue WR Rondale Moore To Opt Back In For 2020 Season

September 24th, 2020 at 4:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

First-round wide receiver prospect Rondale Moore will return to Purdue for his junior season, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

One of several marquee Big Ten talents to opt out over the summer, Moore is the latest to reverse course. Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade has opted back in; so has Michigan tackle Jalen Mayfield. The Big Ten’s decision to begin play in October, after previously tabling its season to potentially 2021, has helped bring back some of its top players.

Moore will return after missing most of his sophomore season. The high-end Purdue recruit dominated as a freshman in 2018, totaling 1,471 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns en route to Big Ten freshman of the year acclaim. A hamstring injury ended the star Boilermaker’s second season after just four games. Rather than enter the NFL only on the strength of his abbreviated underclassman run, the 5-foot-9 standout will return for what will likely be his final college season.

This summer, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler tabbed Moore as his No. 3 wideout prospect for 2021 — behind LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman. Both players opted out, though Bateman has been connected to a 2020 return. Complications from Bateman signing with an agent have arisen, however.

COVID-19 has impacted the college football season considerably so far. The Houston Cougars have seen four games postponed or canceled. Notre Dame’s Saturday tilt against Wake Forest has been moved to December, and South Florida — which faced the Fighting Irish last week — nixed its Saturday game as a result. While the NFL has a much greater degree of certainty of finishing its 2020 season than the college game does, the Big Ten has agreed to follow the ACC, Big 12 and SEC in playing this fall. The northern Power 5 conference begins play Oct. 24.

Ohio State CB Shaun Wade Opts Back In; Latest On Other Big Ten Opt-Outs

September 17th, 2020 at 6:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Big Ten now on track to begin its season in late October, Ohio State will have one of its top players back. Standout cornerback Shaun Wade said during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter) he changed his mind on opting out of the 2020 season. He is now set to play as a senior.

Set to follow the likes of Bradley Roby, Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, Gareon Conley and Jeff Okudah as an Ohio State corner to hear his name called in the first round, Wade will do so after playing a fourth Buckeyes season. He ranks as the No. 7 player on Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest 2021 big board.

Wade hired an agent but did not file any paperwork, according to ESPN.com. He is not the only one of the Big Ten opt-outs to reconsider. Ohio State offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, a potential first-round pick, also reversed course and opted back in (Twitter link).

First-round prospects Micah Parsons (linebacker, Penn State), Rondale Moore (wide receiver, Purdue), Jalen Mayfield (tackle, Michigan) and Rashod Bateman (wide receiver, Minnesota) opted out before Wade initially decided to pass on 2020. Not all are committed to skipping the season, though some still are.

Penn State coach James Franklin said the door is open for Parsons to play as a junior, according to PennLive.com, while Purdue HC Jeff Brohm intends to check on Moore’s status now that the conference timetable has changed. Bateman, however, does not plan to opt back in, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The Golden Gophers standout wideout has asthma and cited health concerns as a reason he will skip the COVID-19-altered season to prepare for the draft. Despite playing just one full season with the Wolverines, Mayfield plans to stick with his decision to bypass his junior season, per the Detroit Free Press.

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