I liked Atlanta’s decision to trade for Rondale Moore. I thought it made sense to see if he could be sparked by a move to a new team. But it’s looking like he’ll be out for the season after suffering a knee injury in a joint practice with the Dolphins.
It’s unfortunate. He’s got some ability. He caught 114 passes in one of his seasons at Purdue, with 14 touchdowns, leading him to being selected in the second round. And while he scored only 4 TDs in three years with the Cardinals, they came from 77, 38, 45 and 48 yards.
Arizona used him mainly as a short-range target, with a lot of his catches coming on quick throws around the line of scrimmage. He averaged only 8.9 yards on his 135 catches there. I was interested in seeing what he might do as a more traditional receiver.
Moore with the Cardinals was effective on end-arounds last year, carrying 28 times for 178 (with the previously mentioned 45-yard touchdown).
But if Moore (pictured) is to salvage his career, it will be in 2025, and with a new contract. (He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in March, able to sign anywhere.)
As for the Falcons, as things stand now, they’re rolling with Ray-Ray McCloud as their slot receiver. He’s listed as a first-string player on their depth chart. But I would think they’ll add somebody before the end of the month who has the potential to be their third option (behind Drake London and Darnell Mooney).
McCloud has been in the league for six years, but mostly as a special teams player. He’s returned 246 kickoffs and punts for the Bills, Panthers, Steelers and 49ers, but with no touchdowns.
His work as a wide receiver has been less substantial. In 77 career games, he’s caught 90 passes for 768 yards, with one touchdown.
He’s also been generally ineffective. Over the last five years, 155 wide receivers have had at least 100 passes thrown in their direction. McCloud ranks next-to-last in average yards per target on that list (just ahead of Albert Wilson, and just behind Greg Ward and Steven Sims).
| AVERAGING UNDER 7 YARDS PER TARGET (last 5 yrs) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | No | Yds | Avg |
| Albert Wilson | 101 | 68 | 564 | 5.6 |
| Ray-Ray McCloud | 128 | 85 | 732 | 5.7 |
| Greg Ward | 130 | 88 | 768 | 5.9 |
| Steven Sims | 119 | 78 | 704 | 5.9 |
| Dede Westbrook | 117 | 77 | 732 | 6.3 |
| Jalen Reagor | 148 | 79 | 937 | 6.3 |
| Parris Campbell | 171 | 117 | 1087 | 6.4 |
| Trent Sherfield | 113 | 59 | 720 | 6.4 |
| N'Keal Harry | 112 | 64 | 714 | 6.4 |
| Jakeem Grant | 104 | 66 | 669 | 6.4 |
| Zay Jones | 320 | 204 | 2060 | 6.4 |
| Mohamed Sanu | 137 | 91 | 884 | 6.5 |
| Rondale Moore | 182 | 135 | 1201 | 6.6 |
| Elijah Moore | 246 | 139 | 1624 | 6.6 |
| Kadarius Toney | 115 | 82 | 760 | 6.6 |
| A.J. Green | 243 | 125 | 1607 | 6.6 |
| Jamal Agnew | 110 | 74 | 730 | 6.6 |
| Sterling Shepard | 272 | 182 | 1809 | 6.7 |
| Braxton Berrios | 198 | 134 | 1323 | 6.7 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 181 | 129 | 1213 | 6.7 |
| Anthony Miller | 173 | 107 | 1166 | 6.7 |
| Romeo Doubs | 163 | 101 | 1099 | 6.7 |
| Garrett Wilson | 315 | 178 | 2145 | 6.8 |
| Diontae Johnson | 639 | 391 | 4363 | 6.8 |
| Adam Humphries | 144 | 101 | 985 | 6.8 |
| Isaiah McKenzie | 178 | 130 | 1219 | 6.8 |
| Devin Duvernay | 131 | 94 | 898 | 6.9 |
| Phillip Dorsett | 111 | 56 | 764 | 6.9 |
| Wan'Dale Robinson | 109 | 83 | 752 | 6.9 |
| Marquise Brown | 525 | 313 | 3644 | 6.9 |
| Terrace Marshall | 110 | 64 | 767 | 7.0 |
| Jamison Crowder | 315 | 210 | 2198 | 7.0 |
| Russell Gage | 347 | 238 | 2428 | 7.0 |
McCloud played more as a wide receiver at the college level. He caught 49 passes in each of his last two seasons at Clemson, albeit with only 2 and 1 touchdowns. He also contributed a couple of splash plays near the end of the 2022 season (a 42-yard reception against the Raiders and a 71-yard touchdown on a run against Washington).
But I would think the Falcons will be on the lookout for somebody to serve as their third receiver. It's not going to be McCloud, and I don't see it being KhaDarel Hodge, James Washington or Chris Blair.
—Ian Allan