With the ending of the Arizona Cardinals’ 2021 season still fresh on the minds of most, it’s never too early to look ahead to the 2022 season.
Heading into March’s free agency period, the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore, Andy Isabella and Greg Dortch are the only wide receivers still under contract going into next season.
With Isabella — who only saw 30 offensive snaps and one target in eight games in 2021 — falling out of favor with head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Pro Football Focus predicts that Moore could be a breakout candidate in his sophomore campaign.
Expanding Moore’s role and route tree is going to be key in any potential breakout from the 2021 second-round pick. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound receiver was a sole underneath weapon for Arizona this past season. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense is run by those underneath concepts, and Moore was productive on them with a 70.7 PFF grade, 7.9 yards after catch per reception and 13 broken tackles on 59 catches. In order to build on that, Moore’s 1.3-yard average depth of target will need to grow.
Moore was selected in the second round (No. 49 overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Purdue, marking the second time in Kingsbury’s three drafts Cardinals took a speedy WR shorter than 5-foot-10 in the second round.
The 5-foot-9 Isabella was taken No. 62 overall out of UMass in 2019 ahead of the head coach’s first season at the helm.
Moore, who is listed at 5-foot-7, had a pretty productive rookie season in Arizona.
In 14 appearances (seven starts), the wideout garnered 435 yards on 54 receptions (64 targets) for one score and added 76 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
He also caught five balls on six targets for 32 yards in his first career playoff game.
Moore’s biggest game of 2021 came in the 34-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings in which the Cardinals then-rookie wide receiver led all pass catchers with 114 receiving yards on seven grabs and a touchdown in just his second NFL start.
Former Trinity star Rondale Moore just caught a 77-yard touchdown for his first career NFL touchdown. pic.twitter.com/GTdaAD3Ak5
— Tyler Greever (@Tyler_Greever) September 19, 2021
From a team perspective, Moore was tied with A.J. Green for third in receptions (54), tied with Hopkins for fourth in targets (64) and finished fifth in receiving yards (435).
The 21-year-old also had the longest reception of the year for the Cardinals, which came on his 77-yard TD in the aforementioned win over the Vikings.
So is Moore ready to step up and take on a larger role in Arizona’s wide receiver room?
The Cardinals’ actions in free agency will speak volumes as to how confident they are in his ability going forward.