One noticeable aspect of the Vikings’ free agent acquisitions is how many players they’ve signed who are coming off significant injuries from last season. Key additions like Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Ryan Kelly, and Will Fries all missed between 7 and 14 games in 2024.
Although these players are at different stages of recovery, all are expected to be ready for training camp. However, the one player who may not be fully active when camp begins is wide receiver Rondale Moore, according to Kevin O’Connell at the NFL’s annual league meeting on Tuesday. “The only one that I believe we’ll be really looking to see if he has a normal training camp or not is Rondale Moore, as far as I’ve been told,” O’Connell said.
Moore, a former second-round pick with considerable potential, tore his ACL last August while training with the Falcons. By the time Vikings camp starts in late July, he’ll be approaching the one-year recovery mark. Given that Moore’s game relies heavily on agility and burst, the Vikings are likely to take a cautious approach with him.
Rondale Moore,
After a standout freshman season at Purdue in 2018, Moore’s college career was marred by injuries. Despite this, the Cardinals selected him 49th overall in the 2021 draft, and the electrifying 5’7″ receiver showed glimpses of his talent over three seasons in Arizona, recording 1,450 yards from scrimmage and 4 touchdowns.
Despite missing all of last season after being traded to Atlanta, the Vikings took a low-risk chance on Moore this offseason, signing him to a one-year, $2 million deal with just $250,000 guaranteed. Now 25, Moore has the athleticism to be a dynamic addition to the Vikings’ offense if he can stay healthy.
O’Connell and the Vikings trust their medical team, led by VP of player health and performance Tyler Williams, and view it as a significant advantage. Last year, they signed two high-profile free agents, Aaron Jones and Andrew Van Ginkel, both of whom had dealt with injuries the previous season. In 2024, Jones set a career high in rushing yards, and Van Ginkel made the second-team All-Pro, with neither player missing a game.
“More and more every year, it’s like ‘ah, Tyler and those guys, they got ’em. We’re gonna be just fine,'” O’Connell said. “They’ve just proven, time and time again, (they’re) world-class down there with what they do.”
Allen (pec) and Kelly (knee) were able to return from their injuries last season. In addition to Moore, Fries (tibia) and Hargrave (tricep) are still recovering from season-ending injuries. As always, the Vikings have tailored, carefully-planned recovery timelines for each player.
“Although injuries, as a whole, are very easy to paint with a broad brush of ‘they signed a bunch of injured guys,’ it’s not that simple,” O’Connell said. “It’s more something where you have to treat each one as its own.”
This offseason, the Vikings are again relying on Williams and their medical team. By signing talented players with injury histories, they’re taking on some risk but could reap the rewards if these players stay healthy.
“We’ll see how it goes,” O’Connell said. “We’ve gotta have depth and we’ve gotta have other guys available to us, but … I’ll tell you what, when you put that group on paper, what it’s going to look like up front on both sides of the ball, we feel really good about that.”
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