Cardinals’ Kingsbury: ‘People are going to see a different’ Rondale Moore

TEMPE — It didn’t take long for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore to flash his potential last season.

Having already put on a show with a handful of tough catches during training camp and offseason workouts, Moore was quick to fill the stat sheet with 11 receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown over the first two regular season games of his NFL career.

Unfortunately for Moore, that hot start cooled in a hurry thanks in part to rookie growing pains, his spot on the depth chart and the wide receiver’s usage in head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Moore finished the year with 435 yards and the one score on 54 catches while averaging -0.1 yards before the catch.

This season is shaping up to be much different, however.

Moore not only has an NFL season under his belt, there’s also a clear path to an increased role in the offense with the departure of WR Christian Kirk to Miami this offseason.

And above all else, there is an enhanced level of confidence exuding from the second-year pro as he continues to fine-tune things this offseason.

“Really just been working on myself, getting better, route-running, playbook, learning more about my teammates,” Moore said Wednesday. “I’m not here to replace anyone, be like anybody, just be myself and just go out there and play as hard as I can and continue to build relationships.

“I think every player in this league wants to be ‘a guy,'” Moore added. “I think I speak for everyone when I say you want to go out there catch as many footballs, touchdowns and win as many games as you can.”

While getting reps on the practice field is key to Moore’s continued growth, that’s not the only area to attack in the wideout’s mind.

You can’t make the grabs if you can’t stay on the field. That kind of thinking has further evolved the pass catcher’s offseason routine.

“I learned that the best thing in this league is being available,” Moore said. “I took it upon myself to start doing Pilates — I just found out about that when I got here. I got a new chiropractor, I’ve done some stretching with the lady … so a lot of different things I’ve done this offseason to just make sure I’m ready when my name is called.”

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is seeing the hard work and tweaks Moore has made already paying off.

It’s now on the head coach to effectively get Moore into the team’s game plan on a regular basis rather than just a gadget or change-of-pace option.

Especially with DeAndre Hopkins sidelined for the first six games of the season due to a six-game PED suspension.

“He feels like he can step into Christian’s role and play at a really high level inside there and we do too,” Kingsbury said. “I just think the confidence is high right now and he knows he’s got a big opportunity coming up.

“We utilized him in different ways than we will this year,” Kingsbury added, “We kind of got it to him in space and did some things and used him on some checkdowns but he’s a dynamic route-runner and I think that’s what people are going to see. He’s really good getting out of his cuts, good at the tougher routes and so I think people are going to see a different side of him.”

EXTRA POINT

– Moore on who is the fastest Cardinals receiver on the roster:

“I think it’s still up in the air. I like to give myself that nod but it’s a little toss up between myself, Andy (Isabella), Andre (Baccellia) and A.J. (Green) likes to sprinkle himself in there a little bit.”

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