MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Falcons wide receiver Rondale Moore suffered what appeared to be a serious leg injury Wednesday and was carted off the field during a joint practice with the Dolphins.
He was being evaluated for a leg injury at the health facility just a couple of hundred yards away from the practice field, according to the Falcons. The practice ended after the injury, 40 minutes early.
“Certainly, our thoughts and prayers are with Rondale,” Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said after the practice. “Not really sure what’s going on there. Hopefully, it’s not too serious.”
Cousins didn’t see what happened on the play.
“I was farther back. Just trying to get my thoughts ready for the two-minute period.”
Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was on the opposite field and rushed with the rest of the team to surround Moore. Then they all took a knee for the fallen wide receiver.
“I just saw everybody down praying for him,” Jarrett said. “All we could do is wish him the best. Man, hopefully everything will work out. We are just waiting on more information.”
Jarrett suffered a season-ending knee injury last season.
“It’s always tough when you see a player go down,” Jarrett said. “It’s unexpected. It’s just heartbreaking. There is not much more of a heartbreak like it. First and foremost, you just worry about a person’s well being.
“That’s what we are all worried about right now, regardless of the work and practice schedule. We had some good work, but I think everybody on both sides just want him to be healthy.”
Moore, who was listed as the No. 2 slot receiver on the team’s official depth chart, was acquired in a trade with the Cardinals for quarterback Desmond Ridder.
Moore, who’s listed at 5-foot-7 and 181 pounds, was having a strong training camp and a good practice against the Dolphins. He was in the middle a couple of the fights between the Falcons’ offense and the Dolphins’ defense before the injury occurred.
Moore, who turned 24 in June, was drafted in the second round (48th overall) out of Purdue in 2021. He played in 39 games for the Cardinals and made 21 starts. He has caught 135 of 182 targets for 1,201 yards and three touchdowns.
Moore ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine, but the speed has not translated into a lot of big plays in the NFL.
Moore’s injury and the fights put a damper on the practices.
“I thought the two days were effective,” Cousins said. “It was really important to see different looks. Just seeing different nickel pressures, corner pressures, cover structures, fronts. It creates a lot of good conversations in the meeting time after these practices.”
The Falcons’ offense sputtered throughout both of the practices. Cousins looked sharp at times, spreading the ball around to receivers. There also were some dropped passes and a costly fumble after driving to the 12-yard line.
“Throwing to Kyle (Pitts), Drake (London), (Darnell) Mooney and Ray-Ray (McCloud) and on and on, Bijan (Robinson and) Tyler (Allgeier),” Cousins said. “It’s just been been good work. We just have to keep stacking days, but (Tuesday and Wednesday) where two big days, and we took full advantage of them.”
The Falcons, mostly the backups, are set to play the Dolphins at 7 p.m. Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in the team’s first exhibition game.
“It’s also good team time,” Cousins said. “To have some time (Wednesday) and (Thursday) to go out to dinner with some guys. Spend time getting to know one other, we’ll try to take advantage of that as well.”
Falcons coach Raheem Morris spoke before practice and attempted to downplay the fights on the first day of practice. He was not available to address the four fights that happened Wednesday.
The Giants and the Lions were fined $200,000 each for fighting during their recent joint practices.
“That last one was, (was Morris) trying to address the troops and getting everyone to stand down,” Cousins said. “It’s inevitable, I feel. Every time that I’ve had a practice like this, the key is that we get our work in and we don’t have to truly split up and cancel the practice.”
Most of the action occurred between defensive backs and wide receivers. The last skirmish occurred after Allgeier already was down the field and a couple of players got tangled up.
“It’s the extracurriculars,” Cousins said. “It’s the second shove that tends to escalate it. I was glad that we were able to get our work in even though some guys still had to peacock and stick their chest out a little bit.”
