After going undrafted in 2017 out of Valdosta State, Kenny Moore II signed with the Patriots and had a strong preseason and Training Camp before he was waived as part of the final roster cuts. The Georgia native was then claimed by the Colts and never looked back, becoming a defensive captain in Indianapolis as well as a Pro Bowl cornerback. For the first time after nine seasons, Moore now finds himself in a different team's locker room after signing to the Eagles' practice squad on Wednesday.

"It is so different. Being in one locker room for nine years to picking up and going somewhere else, it's a different challenge. It's a different adventure and it gives you a lot of humility," Moore said after his first practice on Thursday as an Eagle. "Nothing that I did before matters to me. I feel like I'm a rookie all over again. So, I just want to turn the page and give all I can to this team, give all I can to this community."

For years, Moore was one of the premier slot cornerbacks in the NFL during his time in Indianapolis – earning Pro Bowl honors in 2021, becoming the first Colt to score more than one defensive touchdown in a game in 2023, recording 21 regular-season interceptions through nine years with the team, and was even a nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

"I think the world of Kenny Moore, he is a really good football player, really good person, great teammate," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. "Being able to add him to our team is a big deal and I'm pumped about that."

When the 31-year old's release was granted by the Colts earlier in the offseason, Moore didn't know what was next.

"It's been a roller coaster. Good days, bad days. But for the most part, it's really just finding peace and finding myself through it all. It's been a lot," Moore said of the past few months.

"As an athlete, you just want to feel yourself. You want to feel your best every single day, whether you're training in offseason or going to work during the season, you're searching for your best. I think that's the most important part. I found that. I have the fire to play and play at a high level."

The veteran defensive back stayed in Indianapolis during the offseason, training but trying to stay "refreshed" outside of football as well. For Moore, this included photography, playing softball, and teaching life skills to eighth graders on Mondays.

No, you did not read that incorrectly.

"(It's) something I'm passionate about because I believe all kids deserve to be in different environments for exposure," Moore said. "Teaching life- and soft-skills development to eighth graders, getting them to see life, giving them life opportunities as far as to see the world, things that they don't necessarily do all the time, whether it's resources back home or just the opportunity that was given to them."

The biggest piece of advice Moore gave his students: "A true professional gets the job done no matter what."

Be where your feet are. Stay in the present.

Two weeks into the NFL season, Moore has finally found a landing spot in Philadelphia. The team culture immediately stood out to the defensive back, as well as the East Coast hospitality – something he was not expecting as a Georgia native. Above all though, he reunites with Head Coach Nick Sirianni, who was the Offensive Coordinator with the Colts for three years during Moore's time with the franchise.

"Number one competitive person in Indy," Moore said of Sirianni. "Just having that type of rapport with a guy like him, he's had a lot of great success, so just hoping to add to it."

Moore is a competitor as well, having successfully fought for a roster spot as an undrafted rookie out of an NCAA Division II program.

"I love his competitiveness," Sirianni said while praising Moore's versatility on defense. "It was a no brainer when Howie (Roseman) came to me and asked me what I though of the guy."

After years of starting with the Colts, the 5-foot-9 defensive back now finds himself on a practice squad for the first time in his 10-year NFL career. Unsurprisingly, Moore says he is embracing the challenge as a "reset." After all, he's been in a similar position before.

"I gave up a lot to be a practice squad player ... that's the reset that I'm talking about though. I did it once, I can do it again," Moore said. "I'm Division II, you know what I mean? So, Division II player, that's first and foremost. And just having that chip, having that grit, this is what I want to do.

"I got a lot more years left in me to go get it. So glad to be in green and I'm going to give you all I got."

- Written by Caroline Connor