From the moment Jordan Addison pleaded no contest in mid-July to a lesser charge to resolve a 2024 DUI citation, the Minnesota Vikings (and the rest of the NFL world) expected the third-year wideout to receive a three-game suspension to open the 2025 season, as that's the typical punishment for a first-time offender in this particular type of case.
And on Tuesday, that's exactly what went down, as the league announced that Addison will indeed be suspended without pay for the Vikings' first three regular-season games against the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, and Cincinnati Bengals.
The 23-year-old can, however, still participate in all training camp activities and the team's three preseason games, but he won't see any real action until Week 4 when Minnesota battles the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first-ever regular-season game in Dublin, Ireland.
Naturally, Addison's absence will put some extra pressure on young quarterback J.J. McCarthy as he attempts to settle in to real NFL action. But it will obviously also add some pressure to the others in the Vikings' receiver room, who have already been getting more work than expected with Justin Jefferson sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Jalen Nailor has been getting a lot of love recently, and one would assume that he'll be the biggest beneficiary with Addison out of the lineup.
But this situation also brings a big opportunity for Rondale Moore, who signed a one-year, $2 million "prove it" deal with the Vikings in free agency after missing the entire 2024 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons after suffering a season-ending knee injury last August.
Rondale Moore has a chance to make an impact for the Minnesota Vikings in Jordan Addison's absence
A second-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, Moore had a solid enough rookie campaign, catching 54 passes for 435 yards and a touchdown in 14 games, while adding another 462 yards as a punt and kick returner.
He missed the first three games of the 2022 season with a hamstring injury but played a far bigger role in the offense upon his return, catching 41 passes for 414 yards and a touchdown in eight games before being placed on season-ending injured reserve with a groin injury.
The Purdue alum finally played all 17 games in 2023 but saw his role reduced, ultimately ending the 2023 season with 40 receptions for 352 yards and a touchdown, although he did display some extra versatility by adding 178 yards and a score on the ground on 28 rushing attempts.
And it was that versatility that made him an attractive target for the Falcons, who seemingly traded for him in an attempt to recreate what the franchise had in Cordarrelle Patterson. As mentioned, however, Moore never got the chance to suit up for Atlanta.
Naturally, given the number of injuries the 25-year-old has suffered in his short career, many opined that the Vikings shouldn't have signed him, even to such a low-level contract. And even after training camp got underway, there have been plenty of predictions that he wouldn't even make the 53-man roster.
Others, meanwhile, were excited about the prospect of what Moore could do in the Minnesota offense. And that was before the injury to Jefferson or Addison's suspension. The knee injury, of course, is a concern, but head coach Kevin O'Connell recently gave an extremely positive update, saying Moore has "put himself in a position to really not be on any pitch counts or restrictions early on."
Look, nobody's saying that Moore needs to be the guy in the Vikings' passing attack in Addison's absence. Jefferson should be ready to go by the time Week 1 rolls around. Nailor is having a solid camp thus far. T.J. Hockenson is one of the best tight ends in the game. And running back Aaron Jones is one of the best at his position at catching passes out of the backfield.
But Moore is undoubtedly an intriguing option. At 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds, he's obviously not the biggest guy. And while the knee injury may not allow him to run the 4.28-second 40 he once did ahead of the 2021 draft, he's still plenty fast and plenty shifty.
Assuming Nailor takes Addison's spot on the outside, Moore could easily slide into the starting lineup in the slot, as that's typically where he's had the most success. It's not as if he can't play on the outside, but he's certainly a bigger side-to-side threat than he is a vertical one.
It'll be very interesting to see how O'Connell uses Moore during the preseason, as that will obviously give Vikings fans an indication of how the first few weeks of the regular season could look.