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Rondale Moore

Falcons WR Rondale Moore Suffers Season-Ending Knee Injury

August 8th, 2024 at 2:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

Rondale Moore‘s debut Falcons campaign has already come to an end. The fourth-year receiver was carted off the field in practice yesterday, and the worst-case scenario has been confirmed after testing.

Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. He has now been placed on injured reserve by the Falcons, per a team announcement. The 24-year-old’s attention will therefore turn to recovery ahead of free agency.

Entering the league as a second-rounder, Moore faced high expectations with the Cardinals. He occupied a regular role in Arizona’s passing game for the past three seasons, drawing between 56 and 64 targets each year. The Purdue product did not deliver a strong statistical output during that span, however, with his best campaign coming in 2023 (530 scrimmage yards, two total touchdowns).

Moore was dealt to the Falcons as part of a straight swap for quarterback Desmond Ridder in March. That deal was a welcomed one on Moore’s part, given his dissatisfaction with his usage in Arizona. A change of scenery had him lined up to play with Kirk Cousins ahead of his walk year, providing him the opportunity to showcase himself in a new offense before landing a new Atlanta contract or reaching the market. Instead, Moore’s value will take a notable hit and Atlanta’s offense will be shorthanded during Cousins’ debut campaign.

The Falcons still have Drake London in place atop the WR depth chart. The former No. 8 pick has shown potential with underwhelming quarterback play so far in his Atlanta tenure, but expectations are high for a step forward in production with Cousins in place. Atlanta also signed Darnell Mooney in free agency, and the former Bear will be counted on to serve in a starting role on the perimeter.

Moore was competing for the first-team slot spot before going down with the injury. The Falcons were high on his potential in a new system, but Josh Kendall of The Athletic notes Ray-Ray McCloud was ahead of him based on how training camp had progressed (subscription required). Now, McCloud – who has seen his best performances come in the return game – will be counted on to produce on offense.

In a corresponding move, the Falcons signed undrafted rookie punter Ryan Sanborn. The Texas product was part of Atlanta’s UDFA class, and he will again have the chance to spend time with incumbent Bradley Pinion for at least a brief period. The team will now need to evaluate if a receiver addition is necessary ahead of roster cutdowns.

Latest On Falcons’ Slot WR Competition

June 27th, 2024 at 10:33am CST by Adam La Rose

The Falcons’ offense will look much different in 2024 with Kirk Cousins under center and Darnell Mooney in place as a starting receiver. The latter will be joined on the perimeter by Drake London, but Atlanta’s starting slot role is available this offseason.

[RELATED: Falcons Planning Diverse Roles For Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson]

Part of the team’s transition at quarterback included the decision to trade away Desmond Ridder to the Cardinals. That swap saw receiver Rondale Moore acquired in return and provided both players with a needed change of scenery. Moore, 24, struggled to carve out a role in Arizona’s passing game across the past three seasons. Atlanta hopes that pairing him with Cousins and using him in a new offensive system will lead to a breakout campaign, though, as detailed by Josh Kendall of The Athletic (subscription required).

The Falcons hired Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator, providing the team with a play-caller experienced in Sean McVay‘s Rams system. That scheme relies heavily on yards-after-catch production, something which could fit Moore’s skillset. With one year remaining on his rookie contract, the former second-rounder’s performance in 2024 will be a key factor in determining his market value.

Other candidates in play for a starting slot spot are sixth-round rookie Casey Washington and veteran Ray-Ray McCloud. The latter signed a two-year deal in March to join the Falcons, a move which could very well see him handle return duties. McCloud is best known for his special teams work, but ESPN’s Marc Raimondi notes he impressed during spring practices when operating as a receiver.

McCloud saw time with the starting offense in OTAs and minicamp, giving him the opportunity to carve out a role as a complementary pass-catching option with his new team. The 27-year-old’s most productive offensive season came in 2021 when he posted 277 yards on 39 catches, but he has proven to be an effective return man with three straight seasons of over 1,000 all-purpose yards from 2020-22. McCloud has no guaranteed salary on his contract for 2025, so this season is also a key one with respect to his financial future.

After ranking 26th in the NFL in scoring and 22nd in passing yards last season, improvement in both regards will be a goal for the Falcons in 2024. The arrival of Cousins will raise expectations for all of the team’s receivers, but the competition for the starting slot role will be worth watching throughout the summer.

Cardinals Rumors: Brown, Moore, Humphries

March 24th, 2024 at 10:09am CST by Rory Parks

The Cardinals are open to trading the No. 4 overall pick in next month’s draft, a move which would net them additional high-end draft capital while still allowing them to select one of the best wide receivers in a class full of receiving talent. And given that Arizona has parted ways with Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore this offseason, the club’s need for multiple pass catchers to support quarterback Kyler Murray is particularly glaring.

Here’s the latest from the desert, starting with a couple of notes on those recently-departed wideouts:

  • Brown ultimately signed a one-year, $7MM contract with the Chiefs, a deal that includes an additional $4MM in incentives. “Hollywood” had previously expressed interest in re-signing with the Cardinals, and Mike Jurecki of Arizona Football Daily confirms that Brown indeed hoped to return to Arizona even as he was garnering league-wide interest. However, the Cardinals never attempted to match or better KC’s offer, so the speedy wideout will work alongside Patrick Mahomes & Co. as he eyes a lucrative multiyear pact in 2025.
  • Moore, meanwhile, was traded to the Falcons, and he will apparently welcome the change of scenery that the Kirk Cousins-led outfit will provide. Despite working with two different play-callers over his first three professional seasons, Moore felt he was not given enough opportunities in the vertical passing game and ran too many horizontal routes, as ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss details. Moore will also be eligible for free agency in 2025, and while there are a number of talented skill position players on Atlanta’s roster, the soon-to-be 24-year-old could become a key ancillary target in a high-upside offense.
  • Even if the Cardinals select a top-tier WR prospect like Marvin Harrison Jr.  or Malik Nabers, the club could certainly add another receiver or two later on in the draft, especially given their need at the position and the strength of this year’s class. To that end, as Jurecki notes, the team recently scheduled a “30” visit with Texas WR Xavier Worthy, who set a Scouting Combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash and whom NFL.com draft guru Daniel Jeremiah referred to as a taller version of Brown. The Colts also have a visit scheduled with Worthy.
  • Earlier this month, the Cardinals released OT D.J. Humphries, who had spent his entire career with the club since being selected in the first round of the 2015 draft. Financially, the release was an easy call for GM Monti Ossenfort, as Humphries tore his ACL at the end of the 2023 campaign and is therefore uncertain to play in 2024, when he was due to carry a $22MM cap charge. Emotionally, however, Ossenfort called the move “brutal,” saying, “the salary cap and the way things are set up and the way contracts work, it put us in a very tough situation. I can’t say enough about how I feel about D.J. as a football player and moreso as a person. His energy, and the leadership he brought to this team, we are certainly going to miss him. I hope nothing but the best for him in his recovery and his rehab” (via Darren Urban of the team’s official website).
  • The Cardinals added Jonah Williams in free agency this year and drafted Paris Johnson with the No. 6 overall pick in last year’s draft, and they are still rostering veteran Kelvin Beachum. Nonetheless, Ossenfort left to the door open to a Humphries reunion once Humphries’ rehab is complete.
  • Ossenfort has been busy fortifying his defensive line this offseason, adding Bilal Nichols, Justin Jones, and Khyiris Tonga in free agency. Nichols and Jones landed notable multiyear deals, while Tonga signed a one-year, $1.75MM accord, per CardsWire’s Howard Balzer. Still, Ossenfort thinks highly of Tonga and cited his size and the strength of his performance near the end of his tenure with the Vikings as reasons for his belief that the former seventh-round pick could carve out a meaningful role in the desert.

Cardinals, Falcons Finalizing Desmond Ridder Trade

March 14th, 2024 at 10:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

That was fast. Falcons talks with teams about a Desmond Ridder trade will produce a deal; the Cardinals are finalizing an agreement to acquire the third-year quarterback, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports.

Wide receiver Rondale Moore is coming back to Atlanta in the deal, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. One season remains on Moore’s rookie deal; two years are left on Ridder’s contract. No picks will be moved in this deal.

The Falcons made their Kirk Cousins signing official Wednesday, as the new league year began, and they still have backup Taylor Heinicke under contract on his two-year, $14MM accord. He is due a $5MM nonguaranteed salary. Heinicke would stand to represent some insurance and, if nothing else, an arm capable of leading the team through offseason workouts as Cousins finishes up his Achilles rehab. The Falcons have determined Ridder is no longer a fit.

Moore will join Darnell Mooney as new Falcons complementary wideouts; the ex-Bears 1,000-yard weapon signed a three-year, $39MM deal. A 5-foot-7 target used mostly near the line of scrimmage in Arizona, Moore is a former second-round pick. The slot player may be set to be a regular alongside Mooney and Drake London in Atlanta. Though, the Purdue alum had not maintained a grip on the Cardinals’ slot job. Greg Dortch usurped Moore during the 2023 season, as a new coaching staff changed the Kliff Kingsbury offense in which Moore was drafted to play.

Chosen 49th overall, Moore has shown some intriguing form as a tertiary target in a Cousins-guided offense. Although Moore has only cleared 10 yards per catch in one of his three seasons (2022), he has totaled 1,201 yards in that span. Moore posted back-to-back 400-yard seasons as part of DeAndre Hopkins-fronted receiving crews. New Cardinals OC Drew Petzing gave Moore 26 carries last season as well; he turned them into 178 yards and a touchdown. In coming from the NFC West, Raheem Morris and Falcons OC Zac Robinson have seen plenty of Moore.

Moore’s worst yardage total as a Cardinal (352, in 2023) would have been second among Falcon wideouts last year. Mack Hollins‘ 251 yards led the London wingmen; Hollins has since signed with the Bills. Ridder’s form contributed to that low number, and the Falcons also funneled targets to Kyle Pitts and the since-cut Jonnu Smith. They appear to be shifting to an offense that features more reliable wideouts and one primary receiving tight end. Minnesota and Washington largely operated this way with Cousins, who fed slot receivers K.J. Osborn and Jamison Crowder steady targets. This trade could benefit Moore as a 2025 free agent.

Ridder, 24, ranked 26th in QBR last season, finishing with a 12-12 TD-INT ratio and a 7.3 yards-per-attempt number. After the Cincinnati alum sat behind Marcus Mariota for much of the 2022 season, the Falcons gave him 17 total starts. Passing on a veteran arm last year, the Falcons put considerable faith in Ridder. But Arthur Smith, who ended up on the chopping block, benched him twice. Coming out of last season, word immediately surfaced Atlanta was aiming to upgrade at QB. Enter Cousins and another big contract.

Ridder’s rookie deal calls for $985K and $1.1MM base salaries over the next two seasons. That will pair well with Murray’s $46.1MM-per-year extension. The Cardinals traded Josh Dobbs to the Vikings at last year’s deadline; Dobbs is now a free agent. Arizona has 2023 fifth-rounder Clayton Tune signed for three more seasons.

It will be interesting to see if Ridder will be given the QB2 job or if Tune will be placed on even footing. Given Murray’s 2022 ACL tear and his history of short-term absences, the Arizona backup role may well lead to opportunities next season.

Cardinals Sign QB David Blough, Place WR Rondale Moore On IR

December 14th, 2022 at 5:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

In need of a new quarterback to fill out the depth chart, the Cardinals have quickly made a move. Arizona has signed David Blough off the Vikings’ practice squad, per a team announcement.

The 27-year-old has spent most of his career in Detroit, making seven total appearances with the Lions. That time includes five starts in 2019. He was among the team’s final cuts this season, though, with Nate Sudfeld being their preferred option as Jared Goff‘s backup. They hoped to keep Blough on their taxi squad, but he made an intra-divisional move to Minnesota instead.

Now, another NFC deal is on tap, and it will allow him to see time on Arizona’s active roster; the spot opened up with Kyler Murray being placed on IR following his ACL tear suffered on Monday night. Blough will serve as Colt McCoy‘s backup for the remainder of the season, and audition for a 53-man spot with Arizona or another team in the process.

The Cardinals also announced on Wednesday that wideout Rondale Moore has been placed on IR. The move means that his season is over, and marks a disappointing end to his second NFL campaign. The former second-rounder was injured early in Arizona’s Week 11 loss to San Francisco, and finishes with 41 receptions, 414 yards and one touchdown for the year. The Cardinals’ already shorthanded offense will move forward with the likes of A.J. Green, Robbie Anderson and Greg Dortch serving in rotational receiver roles.

In a more positive development, Arizona has designated Will Hernandez for return from IR. The veteran guard started each of the first nine games of the season, his first with the Cardinals. He has been sidelined ever since due to a pectoral injury, and his return to action will be a welcomed sight given the injuries suffered up front by D.J. Humphries, Rodney Hudson and Justin Pugh this year.

If Hernandez is activated within the next three weeks, the Cardinals will be left with two IR activations. The offense he will be returning to, though, will look much different than the one he last saw.

WR Injury Notes: Meyers, Toney, Cardinals

December 10th, 2022 at 9:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots were a talking point in some circles after their Thursday night loss to the Bills. Their passing attack in particular came under fire, but a turnaround this week against Arizona will have to come without their leading receiver.

New England has ruled out Jakobi Meyers for their upcoming Monday night game as a result of a concussion. The news comes as little surprise, given the fact that the 26-year-old was unable to practice throughout the week as a result of the injury. His absence will be felt by the Patriots, given his team-leading 593 receiving yards this season, to go along with three touchdowns.

Overall, New England ranks 20th in the league with an average of 232 yards per game through the air. The WR position has not been dominant in that production, though, with running back Rhamondre Stevenson and tight end Hunter Henry ranking third and fourth, respectively, in receiving yards on the team. Nevertheless, plenty of snaps and targets will be available for the likes of Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton as complementary pass-catchers to DeVante Partker.

Here are some other wideout-related injury notes heading into the remaining Week 14 contests:

  • The Chiefs were hoping to get Kadarius Toney back in time for this week after he logged three straight limited practices, but the midseason trade acquisition will miss at least one more contest due to his lingering hamstring issue. The former Giants first-rounder showed plenty of potential in his second game in Kansas City (four catches for 57 yards and one touchdown), but he will now be sidelined for his third consecutive game. With Mecole Hardman still on IR, the NFC West leaders will again be relatively shorthanded at the position.
  • The Cardinals will also be undermanned with respect to their pass-catchers when they play on Monday night. Rondale Moore has been ruled out with a groin injury. The 2021 second-rounder missed Week 12, and was unable to sufficiently heal during the team’s bye week. The news extends the injury issues which have plagued the Purdue alum dating back to his time in college, and will leave Arizona without their slot starter. In more positive news, DeAndre Hopkins will be available for the Cardinals when they look to find consistency on offense and avoid a three-game losing streak.

Cardinals Fear WR Antoine Wesley Suffered Quadriceps Tear

October 10th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 10: The Cardinals announced on Monday that Wesley will miss the remainder of the season as a result of the injury, marking another blow to the team’s WR corps.

OCTOBER 7: The Cardinals have dealt with considerable inconsistency regarding their wide receiver availability this season. DeAndre Hopkins‘ PED suspension has obviously overshadowed this position group, but injuries to Rondale Moore, A.J. Green and Antoine Wesley have as well.

Designated for return from IR after landing on the injured list because of groin and hip issues, Wesley suffered a quadriceps injury during practice this week, according to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson. The Cardinals fear Wesley sustained a torn quad, per Wilson, who adds the young receiver has an MRI scheduled Friday.

[RELATED: Cardinals Waive WR Andy Isabella]

This injury would threaten to end Wesley’s season before it begins. The Cardinals have 21 days to activate Wesley from IR, or else he reverts to their season-ending injured list. Although Wesley has returned to practice, he would not count toward Arizona’s eight IR activations if he is not moved onto the team’s 53-man roster.

Still, this would be another blow for the Cards’ receiving corps. Amid Hopkins’ injury trouble last season, Wesley served as an auxiliary target for Kyler Murray. The former Kliff Kingsbury Texas Tech charge caught 19 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns in his first Cardinals season (and first year of game action). His two TDs against the Cowboys did well to help a slumping Cards team move past Hopkins’ injury and into the playoffs.

Moore returned from his hamstring injury to debut in Week 4, and while Wilson adds the 5-foot-7 slot target suffered a knee injury in practice Thursday, the Cardinals believe he avoided a serious issue. Moore is expected to play against the Eagles on Sunday. Two games remain on Hopkins’ suspension.

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.”

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