Vikings receiver Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury Saturday and will miss his second straight NFL season due to an August injury.
Moore, 25, sustained the injury during his first and only snap of the Vikings’ preseason win against the Houston Texans.
He was placed on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon.
Expected to compete for the Vikings’ punt returner job, Moore was injured during a 2-yard return when he was tackled from behind by Texans linebacker Jamal Hill in the second quarter.
Coach Kevin O’Connell called the injury “heartbreaking” for Moore, who spent the past year on injured reserve with the Atlanta Falcons, rehabbing from what Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels called a dislocated right kneecap suffered during practice last summer.
Moore, a standout at Purdue who was selected by Arizona in the second round of the 2021 draft, signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Vikings in March that came with $250,000 guaranteed.
Daniels will have to look elsewhere for a new punt returner. Internal candidates include four receivers — Lucky Jackson, Jalen Nailor, Silas Bolden and Myles Price — who fielded punt returns during Monday’s practice at the team’s Eagan headquarters.
Receiver Brandon Powell also remains a free agent after averaging 7.1 yards per punt return last season for the Vikings.
