Does Cardinals WR Rondale Moore Need Fresh Start?

INDIANAPOLIS -- There's been plenty of discourse on what receivers the Arizona Cardinals could look at in the 2024 NFL Draft, though there's still some conversations that need to be had on the current slate of weapons. 

Marquise Brown is set to enter free agency after Arizona's No. 1 receiver did not reach a long-term agreement with the Cardinals prior to the end of the season. With the organization surely not putting the franchise tag on him, Brown is hitting the open market for the first time in his career. 

Michael Wilson is entering his second season and showed promise despite battling injuries during his rookie campaign. The big-bodied wideout is sure to show some promise moving forward. 

When it comes to Rondale Moore, the slot receiver didn't exactly impress in his opening sting with Arizona. Speedy - sure, but Moore has been constrained to less of a vertical threat and more of a gadget under offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who opted to deploy Moore in the backfield numerous times. 

Arguments can be made that Greg Dortch would serve as a better slot receiver in Arizona's offense, though ESPN believes it's time for Moore to find a new squad:

"The Cardinals' 2021 second-round pick ran the most routes of any season of his career in 2023, but the increase didn't correlate to higher production. He finished the season with career lows in receiving yards (352) and receptions (40), despite having the second-most targets of his career (63) and 181 more routes than his previous career high," wrote Josh Weinfuss.

"As a result of the imbalance between routes, yards and targets, he averaged just 0.8 yards per route, a 50% drop from last season. He also accounted for just 11.7% of the Cardinals' total targets. Other teams may want to utilize Moore's speed and ability to take the top off of defenses more than Arizona has."

Moore is entering the final year of his contract and will turn 24 later this season. 

Under Kliff Kingsbury and now Petzing, the Cardinals have failed to see Moore truly flash what he showed at the collegiate level playing for Purdue. 

With Dortch producing better numbers, and especially with a new weapon coming via free agency, or the draft, or perhaps both, there's reason to believe Moore could be better utilized elsewhere