Cardinals Unlocked Key to Rondale Moore's Potential
When the Arizona Cardinals selected WR Rondale Moore in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, plenty of expectations fell on the Purdue product's shoulders.
Moore's speed was unmatched by nearly anybody playing opposite of him, and his versatility in an offense ran by (supposed) mastermind Kliff Kingsbury left fantasy football owners and Cardinals fans alike drooling at the prospect of what could be.
Moore's rookie season offered flashes of what could be, although he was limited due to play-calling and usage. Being stuck behind receivers such as DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk will do that, too.
Yet for such a threat to take the top off a defense, Moore's impact being limited to jet sweeps and screen plays behind the line of scrimmage simply didn't make sense last season.
According to PlayerProfiler.com, Moore ranked poorly in the following metrics during his rookie campaign:
Air yards: 15.1 yards per game (98th in NFL)
Deep targets: 4 (112th)
Target quality rating: 4.28 (86th)
Unrealized air yards: 53 (164th)
Yards per target: 6.7 (82nd)
Yards per reception: 8.1 (97th)
Target separation: 1.57 yards (63rd)
Production premium: -16.1 (93rd)
Chucking balls deep to Moore, a 5-foot-7 receiver, sounds counterintuitive, but he proved he could make plays further than the line of scrimmage.
2022 has been no different, as Moore's role has been relegated to the same scripting and play design.
The good news? Moore's opportunities have increased in year No. 2. He's received eight targets in three of the five games he's played in thus far, already eclipsing last year's total of two games.
However, his yards per target has declined from 6.8 to 6.4 this season.
It's been the same unsuccessful concepts thus far regarding Moore, although Sunday's loss vs. Minnesota showed exactly what Moore could do when running actual routes in space.
Moore had his best game of the season, catching seven passes for 92 yards and one touchdown on the day.
Needless to say, people were quick to point out how well Moore performed:
"He just did a good job finding the openings," Kingsbury said following the game.
"He's got a great feel. We know what he can do after he catches the ball. Last week he played more outside. This week he just went inside, and I thought he did a nice job of making things happen there."
Quarterback Kyler Murray was also a fan of his performance against the Vikings:
"Oh, yeah. I told you all before Rondale can go. Not sure how many yards he had today, but got to show his ability today for sure," he said.
Have we just unlocked a new dynamic for the Cardinals to explore? Arizona would be wise to utilize him in similar ways moving forward, especially if they want to find their winning ways again.
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