The Vikings may be without their leading punt returner candidate for an extended period.
Receiver **Rondale Moore** was carted off in the second quarter of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans with an apparent left leg injury.
Moore, 25, went down on his first return midway through the second quarter following the Texans’ second offensive drive of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. There’s been no official update from the team as of the third quarter, when the Vikings led 13-10.
Receivers **Lucky Jackson** and **Silas Bolden** are listed as the team’s second and third punt return options. Bolden fielded the next punt return.
Moore took his helmet off almost immediately after hitting the ground on the Texans’ sideline near the Vikings’ 11-yard line. He could be seen on video replay grabbing at his left knee.
After several minutes of tending to by trainers, Moore was helped onto the cart. Head coach **Kevin O’Connell**, quarterback **J.J. McCarthy**, and several other teammates were among the many to cross the field and kneel beside Moore as he received medical attention.
Moore’s left leg was extended on the cart, and a trainer had a hand on it, but he was not placed in an air cast. He had a towel over his head and pounded the cart with his hands as he left the field
Moore, the 2021 second-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals out of Purdue, had not appeared on special teams since 2023 with the Cardinals, when he had one punt return for 11 yards and fair caught three others.